4 ms·
The intriguing part is not that elites get to make decisions instead of experts (that's practically the definition of elite), but that people seem to prefer lis
by bo1024 5y ago
The intriguing part is not that elites get to make decisions instead of experts (that's practically the definition of elite), but that people seem to prefer listening to elites. The panel vs talk example resonated with me.
I think a resolution, though, is that real expert knowledge -- things we know for sure -- quickly becomes commoditized, disseminated, and boring. You wouldn't ask a panel how to repair a car engine that's developed a knock. But you might ask them how long until electric vehicles outsell gasoline. So most "interesting" questions, by definition fall outside of anyone's range of expertise (even if expertise can be relevant to answering well).
In fact, influenced by Taleb, I wonder if a better model of the world is that almost every question is actually either "every expert knows and agrees on the answer" or "nobody knows and any predictions or arguing about it are almost purely entertainment". Nobody's interested in discussing Type 1 questions, and you might as well listen to elites as experts when it comes to Type 2.
- AnimalMuppet 5y agoHmm. Maybe the elites know how to be more entertaining. If you're listening to an answer to a type 2 question, you might as well get entertainment with the answer, because you're not going to get actual knowledge.
- qsort 5y ago> Nobody's interested in discussing Type 1 questions, and you might as well listen to elites as experts when it comes to Type 2. Technical issues matter, though. If experts disagree on something, it doesn't mean they disagree on everything, and this sublety is unfortunately often lost when the discussion moves on to "full elite mode". It's patently obvious on IT/software development/AI subjects, where people who can't write hello world come out of the blue to inform us there's going to be a singluar aipocalypse or whatever it's called now. There definitely exist topics where it's anybody's guess, but my model is that this is - once more - an epiphenomenon of our inability to effectively incorporate proper science and scientific thought in the public debate.
- postsantum 5y agoThey prefer to side with people who look more powerful and give them a sense of identity, especially when it comes to contrarian opinions. Nerdy experts certainly don't cut it