With the Internet, nearly any fact or figure is just a click away. That democratization of information comes with downsides, though – including everyday people thinking they understand complex concepts as well as doctors, lawyers and other experts. Tom Nichols, a professor at the Naval War College, joins us to talk about the dangers of assuming we know it all, which he writes about in “The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters” (Oxford University Press).
Tom Nichols on …
… how technology can sometimes get in the way of a well-informed society:
“The internet has no gatekeepers. Now people hear the word gatekeeper and they bristle because they think of gatekeepers as the people who silence the voices of the informed and wise masses. Gatekeepers are the editors who won’t publish your letter because it’s crazy. Gatekeepers are the people who won’t publish your article in a journal because it stinks. The internet has no gatekeepers whatsoever, and so every crank who can afford 10 bucks for a website can put out any kind of craziness they want.”
