lomiller
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2007
- Messages
- 13,208
It's interesting. I generally agree that we should defer to the understanding of experts. On the other hand, the experts are wrong about some things, and the way that our knowledge will progress is through those things being questioned by, generally, people will less knowledge, experience, and prestige.
It usually happens from within a particular field and by the next generation of experts, though, rather than from without.
If you are an expert in a field yourself, and actively working publishing responding to improve understanding in that field, absolutely questioning other experts is part of your day to day job. Where the problems tend to come up is when people with no such personal expertise think questioning the opinion of experts a virtue even if they lack the understanding to ask the right questions let along come up with better answers or advance our understanding. This typically happens because they overestimate their own understanding and capability.