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The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters by Tom Nichols
emrodav's review against another edition
1.0
Read for my ILS501 Reference class.
This book must’ve been an exercise by the author to see how many times he could restate the exact same ideas while still being as vague as possible.
This book must’ve been an exercise by the author to see how many times he could restate the exact same ideas while still being as vague as possible.
brief_n_bold_book_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
While this book does have an American focus, its content is certainly relevant to all. It is a timely read in today's world, with the explosion misinformation and everything that encompasses. This was well written and flowed well for a non-fiction book. The language was in layman's terms, was interesting, and thought provoking on a topic that has affected all of us in one way or another.
hjortronhyllan's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Tom Nichols' "The Death of Expertise" är en bok som bär på en viktig tes, men den stundtals sviktar i sin egen presentation. Liksom en raljant författare kan vara både irriterande och lockande, är boken en blandning av insikter och självparodi som avviker från den respekt jag kände första gången jag läste den. Jag hoppades att den skulle fortsätta inspirera likt den gjorde då men nu har dimman lättat en aning.
Nichols kritiserar starkt det moderna samhällets brist på respekt för experter och fakta. Han lyfter fram problem som bekräftelsebias, anti-intellektualism, och en tendens att människor ofta värderar känslor över fakta, särskilt inom utbildningsväsendet och media. Nichols påpekar med rätta att även experter kan göra fel, men att deras åsikter ändå bör respekteras mer än “mannen på gatan”. Trots dessa viktiga poänger blir boken ibland tjatig i sin kritik mot allmänhetens brist på respekt för experter, vilket på ett sätt skymmer dess budskap.
Nichols identifierar olika institutioner, från högre utbildning till media och regering, som bidragande faktorer till den ökade misstron mot experter och vetenskaplig forskning. Hans uppmaning är tydlig: ta inte för givet allt du läser eller hör, utan var ödmjuk nog att erkänna att du inte vet allt och att andra kan ha mer kunskap och erfarenhet än du. Det är en viktig påminnelse, även om boken ibland går vilse i sin egen partiskhet och upprepar sig själv.
Vad jag väljer att ta med mig från dessa 238 sidor är: Var ödmjuk och släpp ditt ego. Inse att du inte vet allt, och att andra kan ha mer kunskap och en annorlunda livserfarenhet än vad du har. Ja, ibland kan experter ha fel, men de har ändå oftast mindre fel än en den mindre utbildade. Sist men inte minst, att läsa en artikel på internet är inte samma sak som att ha en doktorsexamen eller årtionden av arbete inom ett område.
Vad jag väljer att ta med mig från dessa 238 sidor är: Var ödmjuk och släpp ditt ego. Inse att du inte vet allt, och att andra kan ha mer kunskap och en annorlunda livserfarenhet än vad du har. Ja, ibland kan experter ha fel, men de har ändå oftast mindre fel än en den mindre utbildade. Sist men inte minst, att läsa en artikel på internet är inte samma sak som att ha en doktorsexamen eller årtionden av arbete inom ett område.
"The Death of Expertise" är en viktig bok som lyfter fram allvarliga samhällsproblem, men den lider av viss brist på nyans och självinsikt. Trots detta är den väl värd att läsa för den som vill fördjupa sig i frågor kring rationalitet, kritiskt tänkande och den ökande misstron mot experter och fakta i dagens samhälle.
ktaylorhurley's review against another edition
3.0
This was assigned reading for school. Nichols makes a lot of good points, but there are times where the amount of vitriol he brings to the topic just feels like venting. There are few solutions, if any, offered, and a lot of complaining. He's not wrong...he's just not very nice about it.
k80anne's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very good book. I laughed a lot, worried a lot, and came away thinking I might not know anything about what I believe. I think it’s a book that a lot of people should read, but the tone seems like it’s directed toward people who already know this “death of expertise” is a problem. For those that the author describes—the Dunning-Krueger people, for example, the tone and facts presented won’t convince them to have more open minds or to doubt their certitudes. So, four stars, but you don’t have to listen to my review; I’m no expert.
gininewman's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
Helped understand why people think the way they do in the face of facts to the contrary
allysonwbrunette's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this book, but wow, do I wish that there had been a new preface written in 2020 in the age of conspiracy theories and a global pandemic. This content really hits differently in this year. My husband bought this book and I read it before he got to it. It was a good read, but honestly, pretty dry. Not really a page turner, but I suppose this is to be the case when addressing important topics like why expertise has earned doubts and why much of that doubt is ill-directed. In a nutshell, this book confirmed a few things for me:
Everyone thinks they are brilliant because they have access to the internet.
Younger generations and the less educated are less and less able to determine the credibility of information in front of them.
Americans are complete crackpots when it comes to conspiracy theory adoption.
(And a bit of projecting because it is 2020): we’re freaking doomed.
It was interesting seeing how the internet has empowered curiosity and stupidity in one breath, but also how the current context of the world so desperately wants to prove experts wrong. Much of the book addresses the dislike of those who work in academia or in a policy role in government. If you’re curious about why Americans’ brains appear to be melting at a quicker clip in recent years and are up for a short, but relatively textbook-ish read, I’d recommend this one.
Everyone thinks they are brilliant because they have access to the internet.
Younger generations and the less educated are less and less able to determine the credibility of information in front of them.
Americans are complete crackpots when it comes to conspiracy theory adoption.
(And a bit of projecting because it is 2020): we’re freaking doomed.
It was interesting seeing how the internet has empowered curiosity and stupidity in one breath, but also how the current context of the world so desperately wants to prove experts wrong. Much of the book addresses the dislike of those who work in academia or in a policy role in government. If you’re curious about why Americans’ brains appear to be melting at a quicker clip in recent years and are up for a short, but relatively textbook-ish read, I’d recommend this one.