The current cultural tide against expertise continues to rise. I freely confess that I don't understand it. I'm an expert at what I do. So are you. Expertise informs almost every aspect of our daily lives. Expertise ensure that our buildings don't collapse, that our food is safe to eat and our water safe to drink (oops, on second thought not so much). We no longer explain natural phenomena as the work of the gods, or use haruspices to predict the future (at least most of us don't).
Experts are frequently wrong to be sure. Just consider the previous example. What appears to be true can and does change. In the world I know best, the long running debate over coffee is a salient example. But accumulated knowledge counts for something. And most experts, like you and me, are trying to do the best they can, day after day, with the tools that they have accumulated , and to change their opinions as the facts around them change. Usually that something boils down to health, safety and emotional well being. Ignoring or denigrating expertise has consequences. Just ask the Somali residents of Minneapolis or the citizens of Miami Beach.
Eli
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