Are you an
September 27th 2009 07:13
Are you an "EXPERT" ?
I often see people attacking other people's views on and offline on the grounds that their opponent is not an expert with the implication that the attacker is.
So when is an opinion an "informed view" ?
Who can claim to be an expert?
How can we tell if they are?
You may be an expert if ...
You never claim to be one
You have done formal training study and research in a area or extensive reading and or have practical experience you can prove.
If you are not a specialist / expert / scholar in one area you are in a closely related area.
Yet what do we see in the media and on the web?
People claiming to be scientists who are AIDS deniers or anti vaccines and think they can comment even though they are a Homeopath with no or minimal knowledge of immunology?
Okay so maybe your kid got sick and a live vaccine might have contributed to that illness but please go take a long walk thru an old cemetery and note how many children died young before vaccines were invented.
People claiming they can and should critique evolution theory and promote "intelligent design" who may be scientists but in a discipline with absolutely nothing to do with genetics or microbiology.
Frankly I think many of these pro "creation science" intelligent design supporters probably got bad marks in high school science and are taking revenge on science teachers?
People claiming to be shamans or adepts or priests or priestesses of some neo pagan group writing about "ancient" religions or Gnosticism or mystery cults or Atlantis or their reconstructed views thereof who have zero knowledge of archaeology or ancient languages
Grumble I've gotten to the point when I wince if I see books that claim to be thrilling new translations of Gnostic Gospels and the hidden truth about Nag hammadi as far too many of them are actually paraphrases of someone's else older translation redone and altered to match some New Age cult beliefs by people who clearly know very little Greek or Coptic.
People like some fashion bloggers who think they are experts on fashion simply because they have an opinion.
I once posted a set of questions about fashion and textiles and no one answered the simple questions. Yet I could be simply by using my amateur reading and knowledge of art history and textiles.
Here's two tests!
Are you a "fashion" expert?
Name one or more plant fibers used in China Korea and Japan for clothing apart from Silk or Cotton.
Denim was originally used for ...
The origin of culottes was in ....
Sonia Delaunay designed ... in which decade ...
Geometric op art prints on fabrics first appeared in which decade
Boho stands for ....
Burberry is a brand originating in which country
The Paisley print are derived from which Asian country
Who really designs Jimmy Choo shoes?
Which Australian female designer has pet dachshunds?
Name a popular chain store expanding from Australia into Asia!
What do you know about the classics?
Which disability did Homer have?
Ulysses is the Latin version of the name of which Epic Hero?
Name any one of the three major Attic dramatists who wrote tragedy?
Horace's name in Latin is ...
Sappho came from which Greek island
Name one Latin and one Greek Orator who are also politicians and whose speeches are still studied today?
The Parthenon is in ...... but the Pantheon is in ....
The Latin for Ireland is ...
Which Titan fathered many of the Olympian gods? His name in Latin is that of a planet.
Archimedes invented ... and was also a ......?
Are you an expert?
Is anyone an expert?
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