Nuance is important, but it’s also difficult for laypeople. Not because they’re unintelligent, necessarily, but because they haven’t studied and trained like experts have. That’s why we have to be able to rely on experts. But, deferring to the authority of experts means giving up at least some power. I think that can work when there’s trust between the experts and the laypeople, but when trust is lost, laypeople will no longer respect the authority of experts. That’s what the experts, the “elites” have to understand: their expertise gives them authority, and with authority comes power, and, well, as uncle Ben would say, with power comes responsibility, and accountability. I don’t think the experts of today take their responsibility seriously enough, nor do I think they take proper accountability.
Nuance is important, but it’s also difficult for laypeople. Not because they’re unintelligent, necessarily, but because they haven’t studied and trained like experts have. That’s why we have to be able to rely on experts. But, deferring to the authority of experts means giving up at least some power. I think that can work when there’s trust between the experts and the laypeople, but when trust is lost, laypeople will no longer respect the authority of experts. That’s what the experts, the “elites” have to understand: their expertise gives them authority, and with authority comes power, and, well, as uncle Ben would say, with power comes responsibility, and accountability. I don’t think the experts of today take their responsibility seriously enough, nor do I think they take proper accountability.