‘Experts’ Know Less than They Think
American Thinker,
by
J. B. Shurk
Original Article
Posted By: DW626,
3/13/2026 6:09:14 AM
Occasionally I hear credentialed professionals with prestigious titles whine about the so-called “war on expertise.” It really bothers people who see themselves as “experts” that a growing share of society ignores them. A psychologist might intuit something revealing from the lack of self-confidence plaguing our “expert” class. If all the fancy degrees, voluminous curricula vitae, and lofty career positions have failed to instill a resilient modicum of self-esteem, then perhaps all those things are not the true measures of a person’s worth.
“Experts” do not like to be challenged. They say things such as, “I have a PhD in this,”
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
BeatleJeff 3/13/2026 6:34:00 AM (No. 2079723)
I'm convinced most "experts" are self-appointed.
22 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
anniebc 3/13/2026 7:29:08 AM (No. 2079743)
Great article. The expert class are mostly scam artists and fools. Their credentials speak for them, as the author notes, and they advance stuff that rarely works. But, you're not supposed to notice their crap doesn't work well or is abject failure; you're only supposed to focus on their superiority and convince yourself and others they make sense; let's implement. If you challenge them before, during, and after their failures manifest, you're the problem. This happens in the workforce all the time, especially when you work with people who have multiple degrees yet know nothing about what they're hired and well paid to do. They keep moving from one shiny thing to another, and no one challenges them to put up. No one tells them to shut up either. If you ask them a simple common sense question, they go silent, along with the those who hired them. I call it the tyranny of the know nothings. The sad fact is, for now, they are winning, and the "reasoned debate" just doesn't happen. What does it mean anymore to say you graduated with multiple degrees from the Harvards, Yales, Dartmouths, etc.? Those institutions should be ashamed of their products, but they're not.
FTA
"The “price” of offshoring one’s thinking to “experts” is a life filled with few cogent thoughts. That’s too high of a cost for any human seeking wisdom."
"That’s the danger with appeals to authority. When you hand your brain to third-parties, don’t be surprised to discover that “experts” value your life less than you do."
"European “authorities” have spent decades using the “global warming” hobgoblin to scare the public into accepting expensive and unreliable sources of energy whose use will do nothing to “save the planet.” Those “authorities” have managed, however, to cripple most European industries and make Europe’s cost of living prohibitively expensive."
11 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
jeffkinnh 3/13/2026 8:07:30 AM (No. 2079756)
Instead of being "expert" many people that try to steer society use "celebrity". Association with big names is supposed to automatically endow someone with credibility.
The problem is, a lot of those big names have internally rotted. Slipping academic standards. Reliance on political narrative and pressure instead of well reasoned arguments and solid rational foundations. Seeking of crowd approval instead of personal wisdom and integrity. Use of coercion instead of smart thinking and respect for others.
What he are seeing now has taken a long time to build up. We are recognizing things like political parties, politicians, academia/schools, NGOs, and many other things we accepted as good and reliable partners in the world are NOT. There is a lot of thrashing going on as we try to discover new, reliable sources of information and thought. Some new things turn out to be wolves in sheep's clothing, bad old things trying to pretend to be something new. Some new things start well and then flame out.
What has been lost is trust, especially after it being broken so many times. AND with expert manipulators trying to spin things in new ways.
The good thing is that many of us are being required to think. Many resist it, clinging to old, unreliable sources; seeking the comfort of crowd acceptance in place of reality. But reality is a stubborn thing and the crowd often disappoints. Thinking is hard work but pays off better in the end and we can better evaluate sources of information when we know enough to grade what they are telling us.
10 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Strike3 3/13/2026 8:07:46 AM (No. 2079757)
Nowhere is this more true than in the overhyped area of Artificial Intelligence. Those of us who did real computer programming for years know how stupid computers really are and expecting those hunks of metal, circuit boards and wires to do anything intelligent is laughable. I don't care how large the server farms are and how many thousands of volts you pump into them, you will never get much more than fast data manipulation.
11 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
bpl40 3/13/2026 8:17:49 AM (No. 2079762)
People who are stupid but don't know it, are the most dangerous.
12 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Mizz Fixxit 3/13/2026 8:17:51 AM (No. 2079763)
According to Mark Twain, an expert is a guy from out of town.
13 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
czechlist 3/13/2026 8:22:40 AM (No. 2079765)
IMO the only true expertise exists in the basic sciences which cannot be influenced by any individual's opinion. I spent much of my adult life amongst PhD physicists and found their epistemological trespassing annoying. As I hear so often these days - "Stay in your lane!"
8 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
franq 3/13/2026 8:33:17 AM (No. 2079771)
Proclaiming themselves to be wise, they became fools.
Da Bible speak to dat.
9 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Manxsom Foe 3/13/2026 9:18:27 AM (No. 2079790)
Expert: Someone with a briefcase who is more than 50 miles from home.
7 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Kate318 3/13/2026 10:00:47 AM (No. 2079810)
“Experts” have abused their positions of expertise by mixing them with politics and culture, which is why the public no longer trusts them. We have seen their expertise tainted by bias.
5 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Vaquero45 3/13/2026 10:10:23 AM (No. 2079820)
According to and old saying, and “expert” is a guy 50 miles from home. A “consultant” is a guy 75 mikes from home with a PowerPoint presentation.
5 people like this.
Where do these “experts” come from? Are they grown on some farm in the Midwest?
5 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
mc squared 3/13/2026 10:41:07 AM (No. 2079843)
People with inquiring minds have always questioned the experts and many paid the price for it. Most recently, covid vaxers vs. the anti vaxers.
3 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
hurricanegirl 3/13/2026 10:47:38 AM (No. 2079849)
Yup, these so-called "experts" are particularly bad when they have a degree but zero experience: case in point, engineers vs. actual workers.
Here's a tip: Just because it works on paper doesn't mean it will work in the real world.
3 people like this.
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