experts

  It has been said we are living in the information age. I would have to agree with that statement. Information is more readily available today than any time in history. We truly have become a global community. Information exchanged in seconds. With a few clicks on the keyboard I can draw upon a pool of knowledge on any subject imaginable. Experts on demand! The real challenge we face is which expert to believe. Really that has been always been the case with man hasn't it? We have tried to identify the true "experts" in many ways. Living to an old age was one, living a chaste life in quiet contemplation is another. Acquiring diplomas and letters, having works published, having a lot of money, are all other ways to identify the expert. 

 Influence and authority are the two factors that readily identify an expert. Influence is often just a matter of personality traits. That influence can be for good or bad. There is certainly much evidence of that throughout history. Having actual knowledge in a particular subject isn't a requirement when it comes to influence. The only requirement being, convince others you are an expert. That's the reason for the credentials so many crave today. Having authority over others also doesn't make you an expert, it merely bestows control over willing subjects. The mindset becomes, if they are in charge they must know what they are doing. Ever notice how celebrities are often employed as experts? They exert influence on people from everything to buying toilet paper to getting a medical procedure. Experts? Consider Dr. Fauci, what makes him the expert? Is it his knowledge or his willingness to comply with demands from a larger organization? We are told he is the world leader in infectious diseases. We are told to believe his every word. 

 We are told to do our research. That is the catch phrase repeated over and over again. We live in the information age! I have done some research myself. I have to say however the majority of what I am certain of, an expert in you might say, I verified through personal experience. Of course that leaves me lacking in many areas. So for those areas I have to place my trust in others. The truth is I only consider myself expert in one thing, me. And I have to say that's questionable at times. Still having some personal experience does give you something to build upon. The problem lies in deciding just who to believe. How do you research that? 

 I have discovered that there are really two types of research being conducted today. The first is the type most of us think about, learning the truth. That is the true purpose of research. The quest to find out. Just how does this work? The subject can be anything at all. Once we have identified what we believe to be the answer that is what is taught. Seems logical and obvious doesn't it? Music theory, journalism, mathematics, medicine, and the list goes on. If we do our research, learn what all the others had to say, we become educated in those fields. Do we all become experts? No, experts have to know something more don't they? That's what we think. Experts require the ability to influence others and the authority to exercise that influence. Authority must be granted by those being influenced.

 The other type of research being done, especially on social media, is finding an expert to agree with you. I'm correct because, so and so, says I am right and he is an expert. I can prove he or she is an expert because, well others say so. My research only requires my expert to be more expert than your expert as determined by other experts! That's why we have a progression of degrees. Once a person reaches the Doctorate level it becomes a matter of what? Influence and authority. The dynamic then isn't really about knowledge, it is about power. I have no desire to research and find any expert to agree with me. It would serve no purpose. Lacking any "credentials" only popularity could propel `me to the expert level. Well, if I were a very wealthy man, like Gates for instance, that works as well. That's why many are listening to medical advice from him. Still, gain enough popularity and notoriety and honorary degrees may be awarded. That's when experts agree that you are expert too, just not as smart. 

 It is a wonderful thing, all this information so readily available. But as we can all attest it is also a double edged sword. Fake news! We all know about that. How much is fake, how much is hyperbole, and how much is propaganda? Separating fact from fiction is what I'm talking about. The truth is, in the end, we have to decide on an individual level what is true and false, just as we must discern right from wrong. The hardest thing for us to do is admit we are wrong, after having done our research. Yes, you can spend a semester or receive your doctorate only to discover things aren't what you were taught. It's a disappointment! Which is harder, to be the expert that agrees, or the one that doesn't? Fact is it is all a matter of opinion. I have to grant you the authority to be an expert. You have to influence me in that regard. If you fail in that, you are no expert, in my opinion. Who is the expert on that? I am.