Quote Originally Posted by Father Bill View Post
I continue to be disappointed at the hatred and distrust of expertise in our society, often by those who don't have it. The fact that one doesn't understand an expert is indeed an indication of a communication gap. The question is, "Who owns the gap?"

This public mood swing seems to have come with the post-modern assertion that all opinions are equal. To be honest, when undergoing open-heart surgery, I would like to think that my surgeon had been trained by an expert, (and yes, one who was able to communicate that expertise) but not by someone whose opinion was merely deemed "equal."

And yes, folks, having been educated by a vast array of PhDs, I admit that I actually understood and appreciated them all. Do I need to apologize for that?

I wonder if the hatred of experts is a new "racism" or just sour grapes... and now that I've made myself so very popular, it's time to shave and shower!
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
― Isaac Asimov

I think distrust comes into play a lot. For example, I watched a documentary last night about subjects that are not germain to this forum, where people with PHDs and/or 'Dr.' in front of their name, spoke authoritatively to large groups of enthusiastic listeners. Problem was they were deciminating what I and I hope the vast majority of educated people would consider fairy tales. So do I trust those experts? No I think they are either crazy, or charlatans. They also told folks not to trust other "experts" that might disagree with them, so there you go, lots of mistrust to go around.