Hi Scott, thanks so much for the mention of my comment, I really appreciate that.
I believe my thinking toward ‘experts’ dovetails with yours. I think in general, too many people view ‘experts’ as being the ‘last word’ on a topic. I think the healthier approach is to view ‘experts’ as being the FIRST WORD on a topic.
What I mean by that is, if I see an expert write about a topic, I don’t blindly accept what they write as being the ‘truth’ about that topic. Instead, I will do my own independent research into the topic, based on their writings.
I love Culture Critic’s Substack. When they write about a topic, I view it more as an introduction to the topic, then seek out other sources of information so I can learn more about the topic on my own.
I don’t think the job of an expert is to give us a complete understanding of a topic. I believe the job of an expert is to make a topic MORE ACCESSIBLE.
Nailed it Mack. I love the framing about experts being the first word, and I especially love the idea that job of experts is to make topics more accessible. It makes me really think about what the role of a teacher is!
In fact, the essence of these recent articles are what I'll be taking to this Education conference in Hong Kong in May, so we'll see how it lands amongst a sea of experts!
I was talking about this subject with my son recently, who is studying politics, economics and society. I was saying that it's better to ask questions than to come up with answers too quickly. A growth mindset requires suspension of expectations. But of course there comes a time when we need to make a decision and act. How do we judge when that should be and how much to rely on an open mind and how much on expertise? Excellent discussion and illustrations, Scott.
Thanks Lisa! And absolutely spot on question. All I can say is stay tuned for the next article! I specifically want to tackle that cycle between fixed and growth, via a model I've been working on for the past few years.
I don’t disagree with you, Scott. I think everyone needs to stay curious, and everyone needs to do their own due diligence even with medical doctors.
I think the challenge is that people have grown really weary of so-called experts, and now there’s this tendency to doubt everything or take it all with a grain of salt, even when someone genuinely knows what they’re talking about. That part worries me.
And with the rise of AI, I’m even more concerned that critical thinking skills like that are going to decline.
Anyway, that’s kind of where my brain went as I was reading your article. PS - really like the 4 horseman of uncertainty! I wish I could be more like wishful thinking but I tend to fall more into doubtful! lol
Oh 100% Bette. In fact, I just had a discussion with someone on this very topic, in which because the foundations of what we know and trust have been so thoroughly undermined everywhere (including by 'experts') that it's incredibly difficult to even find a place to start.
To give an example, in a conversation I had with my mother on US politics, it would appear that everything she read and shared with me was true and factual, whereas everything I shared with her was fake news or AI-generated. It was quite a bizarre exchange, to say the least!
Hence my point that this isn't about throwing the baby out with the bathwater and that we should still respect expertise, however we may need to start re-building our relationship with what that means.
My hope within the rise of AI is that it prompts us to develop better thinking. At some stage, this dynamic of 'not trusting experts' may very well evolve into 'not trusting anyone', which in turn (I hope) creates a vacuum for this very idea.
And that’s the problem—whenever people are faced with an argument they don’t like, the default response is, “That’s fake news,” or “That’s not real.” It’s the adult equivalent of what my mom used to say when she was trying to get me to do something: “Well, everybody does this” or “Everybody knows that.” And I’d be like… Everybody? Really?
Now it’s just, “That’s not true,” or “They don’t know what they’re talking about—it’s all fake news.” It’s like, wow. How are you supposed to have a real conversation or a meaningful argument when that’s the go-to? You can’t.
By the way - enjoyed our chat the other day and I did leave you a message on LI. Happy Monday :)
It's indeed a wicked problem. The approach I'm deploying (and still testing, to be honest), is to go on the journey with them. To apply a bit of that 'learner mindset' so to speak. Let's go on the journey of discovery together!
And in this, the aim is to demonstrate the behaviour of open-mindedness, rather than argue over interpretations.
To our discussion about higher education and learning, I continue to wonder if this is the 'critical thinking' part that we really need to cultivate.
The only downside is that it takes an awful lot of energy... but hey, gotta start somewhere I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Awareness Framework is a gem, especially the part about separating the “what” from the “how we perceive it.” That distinction alone feels like a muscle worth building, especially when we’re wired to react before we reflect.
Also loved the photography analogy because it's such a helpful way to visualise how our lenses and blind spots impact what we even notice, let alone interpret.
Thank you Neela, I'm glad you liked the framework! Stay tuned for next week. I'm finally at a stage where I'm ready to share another of my models; one that's can both be a diagnostic as well as a description of the cyclical process of curiosity and learning.
Hi Scott, thanks so much for the mention of my comment, I really appreciate that.
I believe my thinking toward ‘experts’ dovetails with yours. I think in general, too many people view ‘experts’ as being the ‘last word’ on a topic. I think the healthier approach is to view ‘experts’ as being the FIRST WORD on a topic.
What I mean by that is, if I see an expert write about a topic, I don’t blindly accept what they write as being the ‘truth’ about that topic. Instead, I will do my own independent research into the topic, based on their writings.
I love Culture Critic’s Substack. When they write about a topic, I view it more as an introduction to the topic, then seek out other sources of information so I can learn more about the topic on my own.
I don’t think the job of an expert is to give us a complete understanding of a topic. I believe the job of an expert is to make a topic MORE ACCESSIBLE.
Nailed it Mack. I love the framing about experts being the first word, and I especially love the idea that job of experts is to make topics more accessible. It makes me really think about what the role of a teacher is!
In fact, the essence of these recent articles are what I'll be taking to this Education conference in Hong Kong in May, so we'll see how it lands amongst a sea of experts!
Looking forward to reading your update from that conference! Good luck!
I was talking about this subject with my son recently, who is studying politics, economics and society. I was saying that it's better to ask questions than to come up with answers too quickly. A growth mindset requires suspension of expectations. But of course there comes a time when we need to make a decision and act. How do we judge when that should be and how much to rely on an open mind and how much on expertise? Excellent discussion and illustrations, Scott.
Thanks Lisa! And absolutely spot on question. All I can say is stay tuned for the next article! I specifically want to tackle that cycle between fixed and growth, via a model I've been working on for the past few years.
I don’t disagree with you, Scott. I think everyone needs to stay curious, and everyone needs to do their own due diligence even with medical doctors.
I think the challenge is that people have grown really weary of so-called experts, and now there’s this tendency to doubt everything or take it all with a grain of salt, even when someone genuinely knows what they’re talking about. That part worries me.
And with the rise of AI, I’m even more concerned that critical thinking skills like that are going to decline.
Anyway, that’s kind of where my brain went as I was reading your article. PS - really like the 4 horseman of uncertainty! I wish I could be more like wishful thinking but I tend to fall more into doubtful! lol
Oh 100% Bette. In fact, I just had a discussion with someone on this very topic, in which because the foundations of what we know and trust have been so thoroughly undermined everywhere (including by 'experts') that it's incredibly difficult to even find a place to start.
To give an example, in a conversation I had with my mother on US politics, it would appear that everything she read and shared with me was true and factual, whereas everything I shared with her was fake news or AI-generated. It was quite a bizarre exchange, to say the least!
Hence my point that this isn't about throwing the baby out with the bathwater and that we should still respect expertise, however we may need to start re-building our relationship with what that means.
My hope within the rise of AI is that it prompts us to develop better thinking. At some stage, this dynamic of 'not trusting experts' may very well evolve into 'not trusting anyone', which in turn (I hope) creates a vacuum for this very idea.
Thank you for reading and leaving your thoughts!
And that’s the problem—whenever people are faced with an argument they don’t like, the default response is, “That’s fake news,” or “That’s not real.” It’s the adult equivalent of what my mom used to say when she was trying to get me to do something: “Well, everybody does this” or “Everybody knows that.” And I’d be like… Everybody? Really?
Now it’s just, “That’s not true,” or “They don’t know what they’re talking about—it’s all fake news.” It’s like, wow. How are you supposed to have a real conversation or a meaningful argument when that’s the go-to? You can’t.
By the way - enjoyed our chat the other day and I did leave you a message on LI. Happy Monday :)
It's indeed a wicked problem. The approach I'm deploying (and still testing, to be honest), is to go on the journey with them. To apply a bit of that 'learner mindset' so to speak. Let's go on the journey of discovery together!
And in this, the aim is to demonstrate the behaviour of open-mindedness, rather than argue over interpretations.
To our discussion about higher education and learning, I continue to wonder if this is the 'critical thinking' part that we really need to cultivate.
The only downside is that it takes an awful lot of energy... but hey, gotta start somewhere I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Awareness Framework is a gem, especially the part about separating the “what” from the “how we perceive it.” That distinction alone feels like a muscle worth building, especially when we’re wired to react before we reflect.
Also loved the photography analogy because it's such a helpful way to visualise how our lenses and blind spots impact what we even notice, let alone interpret.
Thanks for this, Scott.
Happy New Week :)
Thank you Neela, I'm glad you liked the framework! Stay tuned for next week. I'm finally at a stage where I'm ready to share another of my models; one that's can both be a diagnostic as well as a description of the cyclical process of curiosity and learning.
Appreciate your share and have a great week!
I look forward to it Scott :)