Authority is the obstacle and barrier to the truth because authority implies compliance by violence. Anonymity does not imply the threat of violence, and therefore, anonymity is more conducive to the truth than authority. Authority is like an opaque barrier to the light, and it produces shadow and darkness. Anonymity is like a transparent and uncolored glass, and it does not block or alter the light.
People always search and seek freedom and independence, and they do not want any authority above them. The journey of a human being is the circle or spiral of dependence-independence-interdependence. Firstly, a newborn baby is dependent on her mother. Then, she starts to crawl, walk, run, jump, etc. When a child becomes a young adult, she achieves independence. Next, she has her own babies and old parents to care for, and she understands the interdependence between the people. Finally, when she becomes old, she becomes dependent again. Out of these four stages, most people prefer the independence of the youth when no authority is accepted.
Even the tastiest meal becomes unpleasant when it is forced down the throat of a person. Similarly, truth becomes oppression when it is forced upon a person. Almighty God gave and is giving each person the freedom of choice, and the use of violence and authority to remove and abolish that freedom of choice is the ungodly act of ego-boosting and selfish pseudo-righteousness. God does not use violence and authority to explain the truth, but God uses persuasion, i.e., Books and Messengers. Books and Messengers do not speak from the position of authority, but they speak from the position of anonymity. This means Messengers were comparable to other people because they eat, slept, married, and died. Divine Books are comparable with other books because they use the same words and letters.
Almost all Messengers that were mentioned in the Quran did not have authority. Thus, people accepted the truth not because they were oppressed by an authority but because they integrated and internalized the truth. Only a few Prophets had authority, and that short-term authority came after the long-term anonymity. As a result, the number of followers of most Quranic prophets was very small.
Anonymity is used in the practice of double-blind peer review of scientific articles. Thus, reviewers do not know the authors, and authors do not know reviewers, and the content of the article is the focus of the review, not the author. Otherwise, the authority and prestige of the author influence reviewers. Ideas must be evaluated by their merit, not by the merit of the author.
People use the authority of their superiors to absolve themselves of responsibility for their actions. They disregard and mortgage their freedom of choice to authority and use it as a shield and blind to protect themselves from responsibility. It is said that evil people do evil deeds, and good people do good deeds, but religion is needed for good people to do evil deeds (Steven Weinberg). I understand the aforementioned saying as overdependence, over-reliance, and overemphasis on authority. However, God chose to present Himself as an anonymous, not authoritarian. No one can claim full and complete knowledge of God, and therefore, God is anonymous. A person starts at the anonymity of God and moves to the never-ending journey of the knowledge of God. This means no one can tell "God made me do it" because she does not have the full and complete knowledge of God. The phrase "God made me do it" implies full and complete knowledge of God, and that is impossible. No one can use the authority of God or other people to justify their evil deeds.
The knowledge of God is not limited by Quran because there are books of Universe and Human. However, knowledge of God is not limited by these three books. Therefore, fanatic people who claim to follow the path of God must be avoided. For human beings, the only uncertainty is certain. Humans cannot remove uncertainty, and they can only try to reduce uncertainty. Art, science, and religion are the methods used to reduce uncertainty in the areas of beauty, order, and purpose. Humans make mistakes, and humans make mistakes when interpreting the books of Quran, Human, and Universe. Therefore, seeing and accepting a person as errorless and perfect is contrary to the nature and nurture of human beings. Small changes, errors, imperfections, variability, volatility, and uncertainty are present everywhere and in everything and everyone except God, and seeing and accepting someone or something as flawless is polytheism (shirk). Polytheism is misrepresenting Divine works and actions as belonging to others than God. Polytheism is using the authority of God to justify their own evil deeds and putting blame and guilt on God, not on their own selves. Polytheism is the door and key to all other crimes, sins, violations, misdeeds, and oppressions because it legitimizes and legalizes them by using the authority of God and god-like entities. That is why polytheism (shirk) is the most dangerous and dreadful sin mentioned in the Quran.
Anonymity is the property and method of God, prophets, and Books. Authority is the property and method of Pharaoh, Nimrod, and Devil. Bosses and military officers can order and push their subordinates to do evil deeds by using their authority. However, the authority of the boss or commander does not absolve a person from the responsibility for their actions. Thus, a person has the freedom to disobey her own boss and commander when their orders oppose her principles because temporary orders cannot override and overwrite eternal principles. What are eternal principles? Four eternal Quranic principles are Justice, Freedom, Compassion, and Knowledge. When orders of the superiors and policies of companies and methods of groups oppose and clash with these four eternal principles, then they must be disobeyed. Eternal principles are more important than temporary orders. Superiors can make mistakes, and subordinates must disobey their mistakes, and the chain of command must have an option of controlled and expected disobedience. Fanatics are dangerous, and fanatical obedience is poisonous. Instead of fanatical obedience, there must be rational and calculated disobedience to the spread of mindless systematic violence.
Fanatical violence becomes very dangerous when it is systematized and structured in the form of state or group ideology. For example, a dictator can order the soldiers to shoot and kill civilians, and soldiers kill civilians without any hesitation because they are trained to obey orders. Thus, families must teach both obedience and disobedience. Families must teach obedience to good and disobedience to evil. Blind obedience is not a feature of the Quran because Quran tells and teaches thinking and questioning. Those people who think that Quran teaches blind and fanatical obedience to authority do not read and do not understand verses that criticize prophets.
Anonymity is the way of evaluating ideas. The prestige, popularity, and authority of an author may influence reviewers and readers. They may start to think: "That person has so many credentials. Ideas expressed by her must be true and correct." Thus, they skip examination and verification of ideas. That is why Nursi used the metaphor of a beggar selling diamonds. A person must not look at the appearance of the beggar, but she must look at the quality of diamonds that the beggar offers to her. Diamonds are ideas, and beggar is a thinker. You do not take home the beggar, but you take home the diamonds. An expensive bottle does not make simple water better, and it does not change its chemical composition. Expensive clothes do not make a bad person good. An expensive restaurant does not change the caloric value of the ingredients of the meal. The authoritative and popular speaker does not make the wrong idea right.
The discourse about ideas may be or must be done anonymously. Thus, the gender, socioeconomic status, age, race, etc., of the author should not influence participants of the discourse. Usually, people like the ideas of those who resemble them, and they oppose the ideas of those who do not resemble them. That is why prophets were humans, not angels. The anonymity of the discourse, debate, and dialogue may highlight the merits of the idea without the obstacles of the person's authority.
For example, an election process may be done by analyzing anonymous plans of development of the candidates. Thus, people should vote for the best plan, not the best and most charismatic person (politician).
For example, during the meeting, participants may discuss several anonymous proposals without knowing their authors. Or they can combine and mix those anonymous proposals to make a new hybrid proposal and plan. Otherwise, meetings usually are the battles of egos and wars of personalities.
For example, an organization or group can have a policy of weekly anonymous proposals for improvement from all participants regardless of their rank and position. Next, these weekly proposals can be posted on an open platform for voting, evaluation, and commenting throughout the week. Finally, during the weekly meeting, concrete and particular decisions can be made based on voting and evaluation of the participants. Thus, the negative effect of the authority of bosses and superiors may be negated by the anonymity of ideas and proposals.
Anonymity is the solution to egomania prevalent in this age and time. Authority feeds egomania and egomaniacs. People must learn to choose and vote for ideas, not personalities. People can take home ideas and use them to improve their lives, but they cannot take home personalities of speakers, authors, politicians, and superiors. The idea is not a person. Good idea can be proposed by a bad person, and a bad idea can be proposed by a good person. Confusing and conflating ideas and individuals is the logical fallacy of most people.
Anonymity may be the darkness that hides or shows the lowliest traits of humans. At the same time, anonymity can be a tool to combat and cure egomania and egomaniacs.
Anonymity is a blessing, and authority is a burden. Anonymity gives liberty of thinking and acting freely, whereas authority puts a person in a prison of public opinion. Ideas of freedom and liberty come from anonymous individuals who choose to challenge the status quo of the authority. Authority, by its nature, is against freedom and liberty. Anonymity, on the other hand, is the feature and future of freedom and liberty. Therefore, those who want freedom and liberty must choose anonymity, not authority.
I chose, and I am choosing anonymity, not authority.