You seem to have completely misunderstood me there. I never said that a wrong answer wouldn't be wrong but that it's better to reach a wrong answer for the right reason than a right answer for the wrong reason. The only way that you can judge the conclusion and the measure of the reliability of the conclusion is the reasoning behind it.
For example, if someone said, "You are getting blood on the carpet so don't hit the dog with a golf club." You would agree that the conclusion that one should not hit the dog with a golf club is correct but the reasoning behind it is not good. The statement as a whole is bad regardless of the conclusion.
Similarly, let's assume someone said, "Because his fingerprints were found on the knife, that man is responsible for the murder." Let's say that the conclusion is wrong because the fingerprints were there for a different reason. Then the conclusion is bad but the reasoning and comment in general are good. Yes, it reaches an incorrect conclusion but because the reasons follow logically, if we find out that there was a problem with the fingerprints then the conclusion can be amended as the evidence changes. It is also makes it possible for someone identify how the argument is constructed and so to independently verify whether the conclusion is valid or not.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~
You seem to have completely misunderstood me there. I never said that a wrong answer wouldn't be wrong but that it's better to reach a wrong answer for the right reason than a right answer for the wrong reason. The only way that you can judge the conclusion and the measure of the reliability of the conclusion is the reasoning behind it.
For example, if someone said, "You are getting blood on the carpet so don't hit the dog with a golf club." You would agree that the conclusion that one should not hit the dog with a golf club is correct but the reasoning behind it is not good. The statement as a whole is bad regardless of the conclusion.
Similarly, let's assume someone said, "Because his fingerprints were found on the knife, that man is responsible for the murder." Let's say that the conclusion is wrong because the fingerprints were there for a different reason. Then the conclusion is bad but the reasoning and comment in general are good. Yes, it reaches an incorrect conclusion but because the reasons follow logically, if we find out that there was a problem with the fingerprints then the conclusion can be amended as the evidence changes. It is also makes it possible for someone identify how the argument is constructed and so to independently verify whether the conclusion is valid or not.
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~