Results for: Crisis of Expertise
The Crisis of Expertise
In recent years, there has been intensive talk about an unfolding "crisis of expertise" in liberal-democratic societies. Along with attacks on the credibility of scientific knowledge, technical experts are seen as detached elites whose impartiality is questionable and whose motivations can no longer be trusted. But who are experts? Whom do they represent and what are the sources of their authority? What kinds of institutions employ expertise, and how can expertise be held to democratic controls? This course examines the historical roots of our expert culture and takes a critical look at the assumptions underlying the use of expertise in policymaking. Drawing on a series of case studies - management of nuclear risk, vaccine resistance, debates over the nature of mental illness, environmental activism - we will explore the basis for claims of expertise, the reasons for expert controversies, the relations between laypeople and experts, as well as the processes that led to the erosion of public trust in professional advice.