WHAT IS AN EXPERT? A dictionary definition of expert is: a person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject. An expert is someone who knows what theyre talking about. While that definition is true, I think that being a true expert involves something a bit more than what is captured in that definition. An expert is someone who has applied sustained mental focus toward an area of knowledge or human endeavor and has, in doing so, achieved a special level of understanding. Sustained mental focus means that you apply your full attention to understanding and working with the subject. You live and breathe it. You have tacked hard problems, grasped difficult concepts, and spent much time reading and in quiet contemplation. In engineering, an expert is someone who has taken things from inspiration to concept to design to finished product. In scientific areas, an expert is someone who has gone through the full process of the scientific method at least a few times and has made a discovery or two. The result of sustained mental focus is a combination of factual knowledge, conceptual understanding, and deep intuition about an area of knowledge or human endeavor. One feels entirely comfortable with the subject, and can hold ones own in discussions with other experts without invoking tactics of dishonesty or obscurantism. An honest expert is also not afraid to say when they dont know or when they dont understand something, and is happy to be enlightened. Real experts arent afraid to correct themselves or admit when they are wrong. Real expertise breeds this kind of self-confidence. Its important to say what an expert isnt... An expert is not necessarily someone with a degree. Someone with a high degree is supposed to be an expert, but this is not guaranteed. It is also possible to get a degree by simply doing what you are told and following others coattails but without ever truly applying deep mental focus or coming to real understanding. Likewise, it is possible to become an expert on your own (although this is easier in some areas than others) if you are willing to apply sustained mental focus. There are plenty of expert hobbyists, particularly in areas like computers, electronics, visual astronomy, etc. where the tools are within economic reach of private individuals. The strict equation of degrees with expertise is what I call credentialism. In a debate this is a form of appeal to authority. An expert is also not someone who merely possesses a knowledge of facts and terminology. A person can memorize facts without understanding them and can use terminology without a true appreciation of the underlying concepts. The use of empty but complex terminology is a common feature in pseudoscience and pretentious faux-intellectualism. Oh, and one more thing... it takes hard work to become an expert.
Posted on: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 15:47:46 +0000
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