Worth Reading: The Death of Expertise

Bruno Wollman pointed me to an excellent article on the ignorance of expertise and confidence of the dumb. Here’s the TL&DR summary (but you should really read the whole thing):

  • The expert isn’t always right;
  • An expert is far more likely to be right than you are;
  • Experts come in many flavors – usually you need a combination of education and expertise;
  • In any discussion, you have a positive obligation to learn at least enough to make the conversation possible. University of Google doesn’t count;
  • While you’re entitled to have an opinion, having a strong opinion isn’t the same as knowing something.

Enjoy ;)

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for saving me some valuable time with your summary. Another great lesson of common sense. Keep up the good work!
  2. "Experts come in many flavors – usually you need a combination of education and expertise;"
    I think you meant: education and experience.
  3. I read the linked article as well. While I second the sentiment of it, I kinda got put off when I read another article by the same author that simply throws abuse at non hardcore capitalist political systems with the always popular wording of 'nanny states'. IMHO that immediately disqualifies said expert in my eyes and reminds me of all the other 'experts' (weapons of mass destruction anyone).
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