WHAT DO EXPERTS KNOW?

Abstract

Reasonable people agree that whenever possible, we ought to rely on experts to tell us what is true or what the best course of action is. But which experts should we rely on and with regard to what issues? Here, I discuss several dangers that accompany reliance on experts, the most important one of which is this: positions that are offered as expert opinion frequently contain elements outside an expert's domain of expertise, for instance, values not intrinsic to the given domain. I also talk about the practical implications of accepting my view.