Q20 - The new perfume Aurora smells worse to Joan

[nmmizokami]

I'm trying to make sense of the correct AC (D). Is the appeal to an authority illegitimate here because preference of one particular scent over others is subjective? Or is the appeal to an authority illegitimate because the "physiology of smell" deals with the internal biological processes of smell rather than preference of one scent or another?

[ohthatpatrick]

Yeah, this is like saying that an ophthalmologist, who knows the physiology of eyes, would be better at judging the visual appeal of a painting or a fashion design.

What does knowing all about the olfactory organ have to do with having a "correct" judgment about something subjective like, "Do you like the smell of this perfume"?

An appropriate expert for this matter would be a perfume critic or someone else with deep knowledge and experience with that art form.

However, it would still be a weird argument to say, "Because YOUR subjective opinion differs with the subjective opinion of an expert in the field, you must have a defect in your sense of smell."

If I think a movie is good, even though an expert movie reviewer thinks it's bad, is their a defect in MY sense of movies? Maybe there's a defect in HIS jaded sensibilities.

[LolaC289]

I see (D) straight-forwardly pointed out the err. However, can't (A) be seen as a correct interpretation also, to see Joan & her friends as the "opponent" (taking the stance of Professor Jameson), and not addressing the point at issue(whether Joan & her friends have smelling defect)?

I know the "opponent" here would be commonly thought to be referring to Professor Jameson so could be eliminated quickly. But isn't opponent and proponent just a pair of relative concept that is interchangeable?

Can someone shed some light on why (A) is incorrect? Thanks!