The Death Of Expertise

[decocker 7,198]

interesting read:

The death of expertise is a rejection not only of knowledge, but of the ways in which we gain knowledge and learn about things. Fundamentally, it’s a rejection of science and rationality, which are the foundations of Western civilization itself. Yes, I said “Western civilization”: that paternalistic, racist, ethnocentric approach to knowledge that created the nuclear bomb, the Edsel, and New Coke, but which also keeps diabetics alive, lands mammoth airliners in the dark, and writes documents like the Charter of the United Nations.

This isn’t just about politics, which would be bad enough. No, it’s worse than that: the perverse effect of the death of expertise is that without real experts, everyone is an expert on everything. To take but one horrifying example, we live today in an advanced post-industrial country that is now fighting a resurgence of whooping cough — a scourge nearly eliminated a century ago — merely because otherwise intelligent people have been second-guessing their doctors and refusing to vaccinate their kids after reading stuff written by people who know exactly zip about medicine. (Yes, I mean people like Jenny McCarthy.

In politics, too, the problem has reached ridiculous proportions. People in political debates no longer distinguish the phrase “you’re wrong” from the phrase “you’re stupid.” To disagree is to insult. To correct another is to be a hater. And to refuse to acknowledge alternative views, no matter how fantastic or inane, is to be closed-minded.

http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/17/the-death-of-expertise/

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Please don't let Danno read this.

[decocker 7,198]

Please don't let Danno read this.

danno certainly has an area of expertise he can claim.

[Peikko 1,575]

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

interesting read:

Elitist!

[decocker 7,198]

Elitist!

i'm tryina dig myself a niche blog market as an elitist liberal g.e.d. graduate. um, test passer. yeah. bow down.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

i'm tryina dig myself a niche blog market as an elitist liberal g.e.d. graduate. um, test passer. yeah. bow down.

[mota bhai 2,675]

He won't read it, no worries.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Elitist was a label thrown around quite a lot during the bush years. It was a weird term to use since most of the time since it was never used to describe the 'elites' (the political class and the super rich) but rather anyone with a college education who didn't endorse dubya.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

interesting read:

http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/17/the-death-of-expertise/

Reminds me a bit of my old job. We had a consultant brought in for a few months to run marketing seminars. One of his presentations was on how to pretend to be an expert in a field in order to get work. Just bizarre.

[decocker 7,198]

One of his presentations was on how to pretend to be an expert in a field in order to get work. Just bizarre.

how often does that occur and people don't get called out? 'don't tell mom the babysitter's dead' comes to mind..

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I was surprised it was so blatant. His message was basically that knowledge and experience are less important than the appearance of it.

What a message.