Just as government, media, and business institutions have been degraded by being politicized, so, too, have public “experts.” Socrates, perhaps the greatest-ever expert on knowledge, observed that the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. He refused to use his expertise authoritatively, but instead, he used his expertise to empower others to think through problems.
While few voters read Socrates today, almost everyone knows that experts don’t always agree. That’s why when we encounter difficult or expensive problems, we shop for second opinions. Whether it’s auto repair or brain surgery, we know it makes sense to get a second and sometimes a third opinion. Why? Experts have different perspectives and different motivations. Often, there’s not one answer. We may ultimately rely on an expert’s judgment, but not without using their expertise to understand the problem in order to make a better decision ourselves.
Public experts tend to be more authoritative and less advisory, which undermines faith in experts generally. For example, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the team of government experts used their “expert” status authoritatively and politically, seeking to rule over others instead of empowering them to decide for themselves.