4 ms·

Clearly, part of the problem is over reliance on experts. Somehow the professional class (empowered by Twitter and Social Media) has now convinced themselves th

Clearly, part of the problem is over reliance on experts. Somehow the professional class (empowered by Twitter and Social Media) has now convinced themselves that they're God's gift to to the world ... because they read a book. And is totally oblivious to how stupid some of those things they're advocating for are. When I go to a doctor, chances are he will prescribe me some drugs. Why? because thats what they're trained to do, rewarded for doing, and punished for not doing. If I go a mechanic, and ask him for a couch, he will probably offer me the back seat. If I ask my teacher, they'll tell me study hard and do my homework. There's a good chance I neither want or need pills, or a backseat couch, or do homework all afternoon. This might be their best professional advice. But ultimately, I have to use my own judgment to assess risk and benefit since I have to live with consequences. This is now somehow bad, and we're supposed throw out personal autonomy, and trust experts, newscasters and so on. But this has not worked out in the past, especially when there's coercion involved. By complying you're only empowering these people. The antidote is to assert individual rights and especially freedom of speech. Build parallel societies. And ridicule the authoritarians.

mint2 5y ago
if the problem is our culture trusting experts, perhaps we need some sort of revolution to get rid of those experts and elite, and turn to populism mass movements. Hold that thought, I seem to remember some historical trials of that path. How did they go? Strange how they ended up with even more censorship.
- dukeofdoom 5y ago
  yeah, well, I would argue it was a populist movement that brought France, and the US the bill or Rights and the constitution. So it worked at least sometimes. Not that I disagree that sometimes it did not work out for the better. Pol Pot being an example.
  - mint2 5y ago
    I’m less familiar with the french rev, but the American revolution isn’t exactly known for an antipathy to experts. That’s more pol pot as you say but I was specifically thinking of the maoist cultural revolution. As you can see there are many example of populist rejection of experts leading to truly great things. It should give pause to people.
- mns 5y ago
  Too bad that most of these experts you're talking about are sociopathic and egotistical growth hackers and nutritionists who overnight ended up being epidemiologists just because it helped them grow their brand.
  - mint2 5y ago
    So you’re saying we need people specialized in telling which experts are legit? Experts on experts, like yourself. Isn’t that relying on experts too? I’m confused are experts good or bad or are we just supposed to castigate all of them since random people on the internet know better. I’d rather an internet mob doesn’t decide the legitimacy of respecting experts especially when showing such an ignorance of other instances in the past when society at large turned on experts.
Nursie 5y ago
> This is now somehow bad, and we're supposed throw out personal autonomy, and trust experts How do you apply your personal autonomy to a domain you know nothing about? In fact, how do you even figure out you don't know enough about something to make a good judgement? You might not need pills, but what if you do? Your personal judgement, made from a position of more or less total ignorance, is going to be wrong. In that case fine, your condition gets worse and has serious consequences, it's your choice I guess. But when it comes to public health measures, and particularly contagious diseases, you're making the decision for other people too. Is your ignorant autonomy more important than other people's lives? These are not easy questions, and I'm not proposing specific answers here, but "use your own judgement" isn't a panacea, especially when other people have to live (or die) with the fallout.
- mns 5y ago
  > How do you apply your personal autonomy to a domain you know nothing about? In fact, how do you even figure out you don't know enough about something to make a good judgement? Mostly because the experts don't care about you and don't have the time to care about you. What trust can people have in doctors if they treat people like ATMs? My partner went to one of her doctors and he prescribed her a vaccine (not COVID or anything like that) for something that's more of nuisance than anything else. She wanted to take it but checked about it first. She also has an autoimmune disease. Turns out, even though her autoimmune disease is in her file, the doctor didn't even read the file and prescribed her a vaccine that should never be prescribed to someone with that particular AI disease. So yeah, talk about good judgement and trusting "experts".
  - Nursie 5y ago
    It sounds to me like she picked one source of expert opinion over another, rather than ignoring 'experts' entirely. In that case using her judgement well. Perhaps as a society we need to get better at verifying 'experts' really are? And not letting them prescribe meds if not ...

mint2 5y ago

if the problem is our culture trusting experts, perhaps we need some sort of revolution to get rid of those experts and elite, and turn to populism mass movements. Hold that thought, I seem to remember some historical trials of that path. How did they go? Strange how they ended up with even more censorship.

dukeofdoom 5y ago
yeah, well, I would argue it was a populist movement that brought France, and the US the bill or Rights and the constitution. So it worked at least sometimes. Not that I disagree that sometimes it did not work out for the better. Pol Pot being an example.
- mint2 5y ago
  I’m less familiar with the french rev, but the American revolution isn’t exactly known for an antipathy to experts. That’s more pol pot as you say but I was specifically thinking of the maoist cultural revolution. As you can see there are many example of populist rejection of experts leading to truly great things. It should give pause to people.
mns 5y ago
Too bad that most of these experts you're talking about are sociopathic and egotistical growth hackers and nutritionists who overnight ended up being epidemiologists just because it helped them grow their brand.
- mint2 5y ago
  So you’re saying we need people specialized in telling which experts are legit? Experts on experts, like yourself. Isn’t that relying on experts too? I’m confused are experts good or bad or are we just supposed to castigate all of them since random people on the internet know better. I’d rather an internet mob doesn’t decide the legitimacy of respecting experts especially when showing such an ignorance of other instances in the past when society at large turned on experts.

Nursie 5y ago

> This is now somehow bad, and we're supposed throw out personal autonomy, and trust experts How do you apply your personal autonomy to a domain you know nothing about? In fact, how do you even figure out you don't know enough about something to make a good judgement? You might not need pills, but what if you do? Your personal judgement, made from a position of more or less total ignorance, is going to be wrong. In that case fine, your condition gets worse and has serious consequences, it's your choice I guess. But when it comes to public health measures, and particularly contagious diseases, you're making the decision for other people too. Is your ignorant autonomy more important than other people's lives? These are not easy questions, and I'm not proposing specific answers here, but "use your own judgement" isn't a panacea, especially when other people have to live (or die) with the fallout.

mns 5y ago
> How do you apply your personal autonomy to a domain you know nothing about? In fact, how do you even figure out you don't know enough about something to make a good judgement? Mostly because the experts don't care about you and don't have the time to care about you. What trust can people have in doctors if they treat people like ATMs? My partner went to one of her doctors and he prescribed her a vaccine (not COVID or anything like that) for something that's more of nuisance than anything else. She wanted to take it but checked about it first. She also has an autoimmune disease. Turns out, even though her autoimmune disease is in her file, the doctor didn't even read the file and prescribed her a vaccine that should never be prescribed to someone with that particular AI disease. So yeah, talk about good judgement and trusting "experts".
- Nursie 5y ago
  It sounds to me like she picked one source of expert opinion over another, rather than ignoring 'experts' entirely. In that case using her judgement well. Perhaps as a society we need to get better at verifying 'experts' really are? And not letting them prescribe meds if not ...