This was one factor that led to a majority voting for Brexit. We were constantly advised to ignore the experts who foresaw disastrous consequences if we left the EU. We were told the experts were talking nonsense and were just hysterical "prophets of doom".
The expert-bashers will cite doctors who take two years to diagnose a serious illness, or diagnose a serious illness that turns out to be non-existent. Or they cite dieticians who say a certain food is unhealthy, and six months later it's fine, eat as much as you want. "You don't know who to believe" say Joe and Joanna Public.
The trouble is that people expect experts to be 100 per cent certain about something. They should have a clear-cut answer, an infallible explanation. Experts aren't meant to change their mind or get it wrong, that shows they're not really experts.
But of course experts change their mind all the time. It's precisely because they're experts and constantly reviewing new information and new findings that they change their minds accordingly. That's not ignorance, it's keeping up-to-date.
I'd like to know how these expert-bashers would get on if all the experts disappeared. If there was no neurosurgeon to remove their brain tumour, no mechanic to repair their car, no chemists to formulate shampoo and detergent, no builder to fix the leaking roof. We'd be living in pretty spartan and backward conditions.
Sure, there are some bogus "experts" who really are ignorant or are deliberately scamming the public (miracle cures and natural remedies come to mind), but that doesn't mean every expert is bogus. That's an absurd conclusion.
But don't take my word for it. Ask an expert.
In the course of my work I used to have a lot of contact with ACAS...the conciliation body for trade disputes... and ACAS always wanted to appoint an 'expert' to assess the situation. What they were experts in was anyone's guess, looking at their CVs...but once they were on the panel, that was that.
ReplyDeleteThe best were good learners and good listeners, adaptable and intelligent...but there were others whose good points would take searching for with a miner's helmet lamp in the depths of the earth.
To me, an expert is someone who knows his or her field and keeps up to date with developments in it....though I would prefer that they keep an open mind as to the value of some of those developments in the light of their funding.
We often look for expert advice, especially on the internet where we can get more than one opinion and decide for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteHelen: "Someone who knows his or her field and keeps up to date with developments in it." Indeed. But it can be hard to tell whether someone really is an expert in their field or whether they're just fairly well-informed and bluffing their way through.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a trade union rep but I have no experience of ACAS (the Advisory Conciliation & Arbitration Service). The HR department were usually the self-appointed experts!
Jean: What did we do for expert opinion before the internet? It was difficult even to get a second opinion on something. Now the internet provides us with hundreds or even thousands of second opinions.
ReplyDeleteI heard someone talk hilariously about this recently, but can't remember who, or what they said except for something about hobbyist dentists. I think one of the problems is that the public who swallow this expert bashing don't think in terms of dentists, car mechanics or plumbers when experts are derided. Instead they think of those who tell them the things they don't want to hear, things like we have to reduce our carbon emissions, or use less plastic.
ReplyDeleteEryl: I think you're right. The "experts" they object to are mainly the ones who want them to radically alter their nice cosy lifestyles. Or the ones who demolish all their cherished myths and prejudices. Or the ones who tell them to stop hiding their head in the sand and face an unpleasant reality.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has changed our world. Every self proclaimed expert can have a field day, there are gullible ones who indulge the quacks and relentlessly post cures for cancer and obesity on FB and other media.
ReplyDeleteThe snake oil of the old days no matter what the field of "expertise".
Caveat emptor applies then and now.
XO
WWW
www: Too true, the internet is full of people promoting their patent cure for something or other. And yes, there are plenty of gullible folk desperate enough to believe them. It's sad when people reject tried and tested cancer treatments for some useless "natural remedy".
ReplyDeleteA very good thought provoking post. I have always been a bit sceptical about experts, some of whom just like to hear the sound of their own voices. I don't let any expert sway me one way or the other, I read, listen, ponder, decide. I think Helen summed it up very well in her last sentence.
ReplyDeleteA very relevant topic in today's world. Knowledge seems to be evolving much more quickly that it would be difficult to expect experts to keep up on so many topics, from medicine to technology.
ReplyDeletePolly: It's necessary to have a critical attitude to expert opinion. Does it make sense? Do other experts agree? What are the other possibilities? And how do they respond to an unusual or obscure question - are they flummoxed or do they have a ready answer?
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Indeed, it's hard to keep up with all the constant developments in your specialism. Even if you qualified in something last year, your knowledge could already be slightly out of date.
ReplyDeleteI like that explanation, that experts change their minds because they regularly review and think about their subjects and don't stay static. That their minds are open to change in the light of new evidence is good.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot depends on what kind of "expert" they are. I'm much more likely to believe someone educated, licensed, etc in their field than the average know it all.
ReplyDeleteLiz: If my doctor never kept up with medical developments and still recommended treatments that were superseded a decade ago, I wouldn't think much of her.
ReplyDeleteDanielle: Absolutely. I would take more notice of someone who had some sort of training and qualifications.
You don't have to either. Just ask me.
ReplyDeleteRamana: Don't have to what? Try to work out who really is an expert and who isn't? But yes, I'm sure lots of people see you as a very wise Agony Uncle.
ReplyDeleteI was something of a SME -subject natter expert for years as a computer support specialist. Myexperience is there are very few real experts (myself included). And Brexit confuses the hell out of me. My closest UK friend opposes it vehemently. Seems like Brexit expert is something of an oxymoron.
ReplyDeleteChuck: Everything is changing so fast these days it's hard to be a true expert on anything. You'd have to spend so much time reading up on every new development, you wouldn't have any time to actually do your job. Probably the best thing is to pool several expert opinions and then hopefully all the major possibilities are covered.
ReplyDelete"Brexit expert" is indeed an oxymoron. After all the negotiations and discussions of the last 18 months, we still have no clear idea of what life might be like if and when we finally leave the EU.
People who bash experts often have rigid minds and can't conceive of adapting themselves to changing circumstances. Thankfully most of them don't become experts themselves- they would probably become the sort of experts they complain about!!!
ReplyDeleteJenny: A lot of the expert-bashers do in fact pose as experts themselves. Brexit supporters will happily bang on about all the economic benefits coming our way despite all the evidence to the contrary.
ReplyDeletePopular opinion isn't worth much. I check the credentials of experts, but in general, I'll take expert opinions any day.
ReplyDeleteAgent: I agree. An off-the-cuff layperson's opinion might be thought-provoking in some way, but for serious information and guidance, I'd always go to an expert (checking their credentials, as you say).
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