The Death of Expertise

The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters

Tom Nichols

• Powerful and scathing indictment of the many forces trying to undermine the authority of experts
• Ties the rise of anti-expertise sentiment and anti-intellectualism not only to the pervasiveness of the internet, but to other technologies such as the explosion of media options
• Concedes that experts do make mistakes, but argues that the key point is the ability of other well-informed experts to challenge these mistakes and lead to solutions

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From Our Blog

Corruption: are you an expert? [quiz]

Headlines regularly focus on political scandals and corruption. From public officials embezzling government monies, selling public offices, and trading bribes for favors to private companies generate public indignation and calls for reform'corruption, it seems, is inevitable. But what really is corruption, and who is responsible for its continuation?

Posted on June 24, 2017

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Climate change: are you an expert? [Quiz]

Climate change is one of the most significant and far-reaching problems of the twenty-first century and it is a frequent topic of discussion everywhere from scientific journals to the Senate floor. Because climate change is often the subject of heated debate, it's easy to mistake political stands for scientific facts. Inspired by The Death of Expertise, in which Tom Nichols explores the dangers of the public rejection of expertise, we've created a series of quizzes to test your knowledge.

Posted on June 18, 2017

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The news media: are you an expert? [Quiz]

The news media has long shaped the way that we see the world. But with the rise of social media and citizen journalism, it can be difficult to determine which stories are fake news and which are simply the product of the evolving media. Inspired by The Death of Expertise, in which Tom Nichols explores the dangers of the public rejection of expertise, we've created a series of quizzes to test your knowledge.

Posted on June 11, 2017

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American healthcare: are you an expert? [Quiz]

As technology and education become more broadly accessible, people are being exposed to more information than ever before. It's easier than ever to choose convenience over reliability or accuracy'to search for symptoms on WebMD instead of asking a doctor, or consult Wikipedia for definitive answers to every question. All this newly accessible yet unreliable information has produced a wave of ill-informed and angry citizens.

Posted on May 12, 2017

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Reality check: the dangers of confirmation bias

'Confirmation bias' is the most common'and easily the most irritating'obstacle to productive conversation, and not just between experts and laypeople. The term refers to the tendency to look for information that only confirms what we believe, to accept facts that only strengthen our preferred explanations, and to dismiss data that challenge what we already accept as truth.

Posted on March 6, 2017

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