How important are the opinions of experts in the search for knowledge

883 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Lack of diversity in universities

Experts have always been regarded as people who possess valuable insight in their domain, however, what is the difference between a person who is labelled as an expert by society, and a regular individual who possesses the same amount of knowledge and experience? Their perceived authority and validity sets them apart. People who have been labelled as experts by the society have already demonstrated that they possess the skill and knowledge required to be an expert, thus, their opinion is assumed to be extremely valuable. Individuals who have not been labelled as experts may also provide good insight, however, people will immediately assume that because they are not experts, their opinion is invalid. Our assumptions and perceptions sometimes act as blind folds when acquiring knowledge. The expert’s opinion is not always the best opinion but humans automatically assume that since they are experts, they have the right opinion. This is not always true. For example, I have been breeding and selling show quality guppies for 6 years, however pet stores immediately assume that I am an amateur breeder due to my social status. Teenagers are perceived and assumed to be reckless and untrustworthy therefore I sometimes have trouble selling my fish. On the other hand, an older man could easily sell his guppies due to the fact that he is perceived and assumed to be reliable, trustworthy and responsible. When searching for knowledge, the opinions of experts should not always be regarded as valuable insight. The fact that society has imposed certain social statuses in our heads differentiates the expert from the individual whom has the same level of experience and knowledge.
Socially labelled experts should not be disregarded in the search for k...

... middle of paper ...

... this means that experts cannot always be trusted. In order to move past the bias and dishonesty of some experts, as a knower, you must collect opinions from several experts. When in search for knowledge, you are in control. Experts are here to provide us with insight and perspective.
Experts can be valuable and worthless depending on the situation. As a knower you must be able to distinguish the difference. Experts are not totally worthless, however, they should not be relied on completely. It is good to keep an open mind and gather opinions from various experts. Opinions are important, however, human judgment should prevail when acquiring knowledge. It is best to take the opinion of the expert with a grain of salt. Therefore, the opinions of an expert is important in providing someone with a little bit of insight in order to be able to further acquire knowledge.

Show More
Related

  • John M Barry Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    399 Words  | 1 Pages

    Scientists are constantly forced to test their work and beliefs. Thus they need the ability to embrace the uncertainty that science is based on. This is a point John M. Barry uses throughout the passage to characterize scientific research, and by using rhetorical devices such as, comparison, specific diction, and contrast he is able show the way he views and characterizes scientific research.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Tom Nichols's 'The Death Of Expertise'

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “The Death of Expertise” the author, Tom Nichols, expresses his concerns and fears about the ignorant public and their views on experts and the things they are experts in. Nichols states that, in today’s society, a backlash of hate and anger will ensue when the public is faced with an “assertion of expertise.” Nichols argues that people resent the thought of being wrong or different opinions “altering their own thoughts and changing the way they live.” Nichols states that even though everyone has equal rights, not everyone is an equal expert, which the public does not receive well. Nichols voices his worries about the “death of the expert” the bridge that separated the experts from the general public has collapsed and with it the idea that the experts know what they are talking about. The idea Nichols is trying to convey is not the “death of actual expertise,” instead what he fears had died is “any acknowledgement of expertise as anything that should alter our thoughts or change the way we live.” (Nichols, 1) There will always be experts in various fields; however people have stopped listening to them in order to protect their own opinions.

    Read More

  • Satire In Magna Galoles

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... consumers into purchasing their products. In addition, expert perspectives are always a good quality thing in product marketing. “Dr. Wayne Frankel, the California State University biotrician who discovered Terranometry.” (line 35) Biotrician is not a scientific person or word, but consumers probably do not know that and they will trust it anyway and the fact that he is a doctor is enough to get them to purchase the product. Biotrician is false information to lead the consumers into purchasing the item,

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Ethan Watters's 'The Mega-Marketing Of Depression In Japan'

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    One’s thoughts and actions are direct responses to what one has absorbed from who they label as experts. Watters affirms, “One of the chilling things about these events, whether a puzzle or a scandal, is how a very few people in key positions can determine the course of events and shape the consciousness of a generation,” (513). Individuals allow themselves to be influenced by exerts so much so that they blindly permit, “These companies upending long-held cultural beliefs about the meaning of illness and healing,” (519). The individuals in Japanese culture subsequently allow these experts to take “long-held cultural beliefs” and standards and transform these beliefs into uniform diagnostic “three minute surveys”. Not only do individuals rely on who they regard as experts, but manufactures do as well. Watters states, “When I asked Applbaum why they were so forthcoming, he told me it was simple: because of his business school credentials and his extensive experience in the Japanese market, they thought he might be able to give them some free advice,” (523). GlaxoSmithKline also take who they consider an expert and confide in their

    Read More

  • America Needs Its Nerds Rhetorical Analysis

    504 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leonid Fridman’s article,”America Need Its Nerds”, published in the New York Times, conveys American society’s unpleasant perception towards intellectuals. Fridman asserts the issues of American society's evaluation of people in order to convince readers of the New York Times to acknowledge educated individuals. He employs logos, ethos, and pathos to contribute to his goal if the readers of the New York Times recognizing the value of intellectuals.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Graff And Street Smarts

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    A person who has the ability to think critically, experienced conflicts, educated is known as an intellectual person. Author Malcolm Gladwell agrees with all of Gerald Graff’s asserts. In the article, “Hidden Intellectualism” and “Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted” authors Graff and Gladwell both insists that knowledge does not only belong to those people who are educated, but also it belong to the people who gets scholarly from media or from the environment, known as “street smarts”. Gladwell and Graff, both supports education, critical thinking, and wisdom delineates intellectualism.

    Read More

  • Ethical Judgements Essay

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...nt limits methods in the output of knowledge. When it comes to the natural sciences it is not a matter of how it is perceived. Ethical judgments in science allow it to evolve and produce more knowledge. It is correct that in some cases they do not allow particular methods to be used therefore prolonging the production of knowledge however the limitations can also impose positive effects in the knowledge produced, such as the development of other methods. Once again this cannot be solved by knowledge as the negative effect of ethical judgment in science contributes to producing a positive effect as well. The main issue with this statement however is the definition of ethical judgements, as there is no clear answer to what it implies. This is because it varies between people due to society they live in, their culture, religion, personal experience and personal opinion.

    Read More

  • Ethical judgments limit the methods available in the production of knowledge in both the arts and the natural sciences

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Knowledge is basically the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. It consists of facts and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. Ethical considerations are relative to one’s own knowledge, experience, and value system. According to Hunt and Vitell (1986), ethical judgment is the process of considering several alternatives and choosing the most ethical alternative. For Rest (1986), ethical judgment is the process by which an individual determines that one alternative is morally right and another alternative is morally wrong. “Broadly, ethical judgement can be defined so as to include the decision process as well as the action itself.” This essay aims to discuss the way in which ethical judgements limit the methods available in the production of knowledge in both the arts and natural sciences.

    Read More

  • Knowledge And Ethics Essay

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    Knowledge has always been a parameter through which human progress has been measured, Knowledge could be an aspect gained from a fact or a situation present. The production of knowledge relies on different ways of knowing, sense perception, emotion, reason and language. The production of knowledge differs from each human being leading to acquiring of personal knowledge and contributing to the shared knowledge. Society also plays a role in influencing the production of knowledge through various judgments that it passes on the manner in which knowledge is produced. Ethics is a set of principles which are morally right and are used to govern people’s actions and on the basis of that judgments are passed, rules made and norms are established. This leads us to the issue : to what extent does compromising ethical judgement lead to useful knowledge in natural science and arts.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: Freakonomics

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    The expert’s incentive is more of a reward for themselves. There are many cases that stick out to me in today’s world, and one of them is how researchers are being pried for information they don’t have. When this occurs, there are times that they give out mendacious information that could harm society (Chapter three). Researchers are continuously rewarded for their data, but when they don’t have the data that is being seeked, they provide false information in best hope for self-interest. Thus, could be harmful to society if the data is medical, agricultural, or of any other field. One particular case that was very prominent to me was how parenting experts exaggerate scenarios, then require parents to meet certain criteria, such as how “breastfeeding is the only way your child is assured to be smart and healthy (chapter five page 147). Lastly in the first chapter “What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common,” (page 15) the school teacher’s incentives were to make themselves look like better teachers. The teachers transmuted their student’s

    Read More

  • Socioeconomic Status

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    On pg 425 the author explains, “Since skill encompasses the ability to find others who may have the desired information and efficiently contact them for guidance, even when lacking know-how most relevant to the task at hand, the skilled user can benefit through informed use of the medium. This all leads to tasks getting done quicker and more efficiently with possibly higher-quality results than would be possible if relying on fewer resources.” This means that even if someone has no knowledge of handling certain situations, they can still achieve success as long as they use the skills they already have to their advantage. In turn, this makes it easier to complete work or solve problems. The text gives the example of using the internet to save significant amounts of money. This is important because having certain skills that allow you to maneuver through complex situations such as using the internet can be beneficial in the long run, while saving time and

    Read More

  • Mill on Liberty

    1926 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mill presents one possible criticism of this view. He writes that it could be asked whether it is essential for "true knowledge" for some people to hold erroneous opinions. Mill replies that having an increasing number of uncontested opinions is both "inevitable and indispensable" in the process of human improvement. However, this does not mean that the loss of debate is not a drawback, and he encourages teachers to try to compensate for the loss of dissent.

    Read More

  • Ethical Judgements in the Arts and Sciences

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both the arts and the sciences have completely different methods to create knowledge, thus the effects ethical judgments have on the arts and the science are different. Ethics limits the production of knowledge in both the arts and natural sciences, however, in the arts ethical judgments do not limit the methods available in the production of knowledge, rather it limits the propagation of knowledge. On the other hand, ethical judgements do limit the methods available in the production of knowledge in the natural sciences, because ethical judgments are self regulated in the natural sciences by reason because of the role of ethics in the methods.

    Read More

  • Dehumanization Of Ingroups

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    Each individual is a part of many “Ingroups”, each Ingroup has a place in the hierarchy of a person’s identity. Individual “Ingroups” might change over time, as well as which ones are ultimate on their list of “Ingroups”. Should a person share all of your “Ingroups” except your most important, self-defining “Ingroup”, their lack of that distinction becomes a primary factor in how you and the now “other” interact. Some Ingroup distinctions are so integral to a person’s identity that the lack thereof within another individual completely reshapes the view of the individual. This is exemplified in the stigma placed on individuals who do not believe in Evolution. Within the scientifically minded West, a high moral authority has been placed on scientific thought and postulation. The esteem is so great that a belief in Evolution is attached to the perceived intelligence of an individual as a whole in the eyes of the public. Should a person not believe in evolution, through the negative social stigma that carries, they are deprived of the ability to contribute to academic scientific thought by the scientific community and the public they service. This interaction can happen within an individual, between two individuals, or on a grand scale between two encompassing

    Read More

  • Should There Be A Health Expert Opinions Or Proof Or Knowledge?

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Einstein once said: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” So let’s start answering the question by breaking it down. Firstly, let’s take out those 3 iffy words (important, experts, and opinion.) and replace them with laymen’s terms. Importance is defined usually by how much a something ‘matters’ in the grand scheme of things. Experts are people who have more experience than most in a particular field or skill.

    Read More

More about How important are the opinions of experts in the search for knowledge

Open Document