A friend sent this to me. He's unsure about the source. I found the earliest posting of this text here:
One of the most dangerous ideas that has come about in the last 3 years is that all points of view are equally valid, and that Average Citizen (YOU) are just as equipped to judge which have merit as anyone else.
"Hear all sides, and judge for yourself!" No. I do not condone the death of Expertise, and neither should you.
I am an expert in very, very few things. But in those areas, my expertise is hard earned through study, work, experience, and aptitude. None of it comes from attending Google University. But unless you are an expert in exactly the same areas, your opinion is not just as valid as mine. It's noL
And my opinion is not as valid as experts' in other fields. That is why THEY ARE THE EXPERTS. So if our leading epidemiologists largely agree that "A' is correct, and a couple of discredited doctors make a video that says "B" is correct, our response should not be I'll listen to both and decide which makes sense to me.
Confirmation bias exists, and only fools think they are free of it. To paraphrase Asimov your ignorance is not the same as their experience.
Genuinely smart people look for answers from people who are smarter than themselves. Only ignorant people believe their guess is as good as anyone else's.
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My comment: Democracies have come to regard each voter's option as equally valid. This opens the door wide upon for parties relying on populism to shore up their political future. 20th century Europe, and 21st century USA (to name but a few) have good reason to bear this on their conscience.
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