Why examine evidence instead of authority or suspicion?

Authority

Accepting a claim because an important person or institution says it.

Example:

"A famous professor said it, therefore it is true."

or

"Cambridge published it, therefore it is true."

Those are appeals to authority.

Authorities can be correct.

But authority alone is not proof.

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Suspicion

Rejecting a claim merely because you distrust the source.

Example:

"A pharmaceutical company funded it, therefore it must be false."

or

"A Western historian wrote it, therefore it must be propaganda."

Suspicion can motivate investigation.

But suspicion alone is not proof either.

Evidence is supposed to help move beyond both blind trust and blind distrust.