Phat responds to me:
quote:
Good point, but it depends which field we are talking about.
Who said it didn't? If you want emotional comfort, you would rather have someone who has experience in providing it than someone who doesn't.
You seem to be saying that emotional answers are equivalent to factual answers when nobody here said they were. Since we are seeking factual answers when it comes to science, I am a bit confused as to why you want emotionality to be sufficient.
quote:
My point is that sometimes we don't want experts.
So? That doesn't answer the question: When did being one of the "educated elite" become a bad thing? Your example of the "professor of comparative theology" assumes that he is incapable of giving you what you need. Said professor can be good at more than one thing, you know. The fact that he knows the theory doesn't mean he has no style or flair or sensitivity.
And when it comes to science, why on earth would we not want experts? When did being an expert become a bad thing when the goal is to find accurate descriptions of the world around us?
quote:
Sometimes we would rather try the folk medicine at the local vitamin cottage
And how does that change the reality of whether or not said folk medicine actually does anything?
quote:
Amateurs have a role to play in society, I think.
And I never said they didn't. In fact, I specifically said the opposite. I even gave examples of times where the amateur provides a valued and needed service.
However, an amateur will never be able to do what the expert can: Provide thoroughness. That is important when it comes to having accurate descriptions.
Michael Faraday was a brilliant scientist...but his lack of formal training made it very difficult to accept his results. He had a good, intuitive sense of the nature of light, but he was unable to provide the formal structure that would make it able to do real work in science. It required Maxwell to provide that thoroughness and it was only after Maxwell was able to provide the formal framework that progress was able to be made.
Again, Fermat is the perfect example of the talented amateur. He's one of the most respected mathematicians out there despite having no real formal training in it.
But, it required actual experts to provide the formal justification for his claims. Why? Because despite the fact that he was often right, he made some huge mistakes along the way. Because he was not an expert, because he was unable to be thorough, because he could not provide the formal structure, his pronouncements could not be trusted.
So once again, why it is a bad thing to be an expert? Why is it a bad thing to have answers to questions? To be able to justify them? To provide large scale descriptions that elucidate small scale issues?
quote:
Sometimes I like reading blogs about the presidential debates and read unverifiable opinions and rumors rather than reading the New York Times.
And that's fine. Naivete is very good for getting questions asked.
It's terrible for actually answering them, though.
quote:
Sometimes folklore just makes me feel better than cold hard facts.
That you find facts "cold" and "hard" is telling. That you are hinting that those who value formal analysis seem to be emotionless automatons is telling.
quote:
I think, (without having read more than a third of the book) that the authors point was that amateur sources and written content now threatens to overshadow legitimate sources and informational content and that it takes an astute and critical reader to be able to accurately discern real information.
Indeed. And your denigration of those who endeavour to be astute and critical readers is telling.
When did being smart and capable become a bad thing?
Rrhain
Thank you for your submission to
Science. Your paper was reviewed by a jury of seventh graders so that they could look for balance and to allow them to make up their own minds. We are sorry to say that they found your paper "bogus," specifically describing the section on the laboratory work "boring." We regret that we will be unable to publish your work at this time.