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| George Riddoch (1888-1947) |
And it is not just famous people that we trust. We also trust less famous people who build their claims around the testimony of people who have more expertise or first-hand experience in their
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| Image by John Kay |
Consider the many layers of testimony that are nested within this assignment, for example. The book was recommended to you by the faculty of the Honors Program at East Central University, all of whom have Ph. D.'s. The book itself is a national best seller and its author, Leonoard Mlodinow, has a a Ph. D., is the author of another bestselling book, and teaches at the California Institute of Technology. Mlodinow's account of Riddoch is informed by his reading of Ian Glynn's 1999 book An Anatomy of Thought and an article by Ronald S. Fishman that was published in the journal Documenta Opthalmologica in 1997.
All of these nested layers of authority encourage us to believe what we read, even though we ourselves never had dinner with Lieutenant Colonel T. and cannot confirm on the basis of first-hand experience that he could "detect motion" on the left side of his visual field even though he was otherwise "totally blind" in that area.
Obviously, there is both a value and a danger in trusting the testimony of experts and those with first-hand experience, but (and here, at long last, is the question): Do you think people today are too trustful of experts or too skeptical? Does education make someone more or less skeptical of experts? Give examples to support your claim (and, if you want, cite famous people who support your claim!).
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ReplyDeleteI think we put too much emphasis on authority, and it's not all our fault. A large part of our obedience comes from grade school. In grade school, we're taught what to think and not how to think; to take what we've learned/heard as truth; it is, in my experience and observation, looked as almost a taboo to question your teachers - it is not a place of true inquiry.
ReplyDeleteWith that in mind I do think we're, generally, too trustful of "experts". This begs a question, how do we determine who is trustful and who is not? Well, peer review does this for workers in a field, but the public is a different matter. I agree that we shouldn't place as much, if any at all, credit to an idea or set of ideas just because the claimer is well known; that's silly. There are a lot of people who have PhDs in areas of study and at the same time are not taken seriously. We have people who take what an "expert" says as truth just because of their education and/or reputation. I sometimes hear people say, when I point out something to the contrary, that "he/she has a PhD, so I think they'd know more than you." I've noticed this particularly in some kinds of conversational debates. And of course, I can cite just as many instances where I have been proven right.
The discouraging of ideas, perfectly exampled in the opening passage above, goes against the whole spirt of science; therefore hindering the progress of our species. I fear we've raised a culture that values belief and intuition over evidence and fact, which can be very dangerous (look at the Middle East). Whether they be a layman or a PhD holder, there is no one's statements or beliefs that are not subject to question. We should put no emphasis on the creator of an idea, rather the evidence it carries.
"By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded our brains fall out."
I think we definitely tend to put too much emphasis on "experts". Just because someone has a PhD doesn't make them infallible; likewise, someone who doesn't have one may be more than qualified to do a particular thing or answer a certain question. It all depends on the individual. I'm not discrediting people with PhD's by any means because I know they have put a ton of work into their particular field, but like in the example, if we give them so much credit that we blindly believe anything they say without weighing what they are actually saying against the evidence, there's a problem. We could be overlooking something really big and important.
ReplyDeleteFor a while now, there has been a debate over whether or not homeschooling parents should have college degrees, thus putting a lot of emphasis on the degree, not the individual's personal qualifications. At first it does seem like a logical idea, but just think...if a degree in anything is all it takes, then someone could have a degree in the most random area ever, and still be "qualified" to teach, when in reality, they are no more qualified than someone with no degree at all.
In the end, we just have to be careful and look at people for who they are, and not impose on them our view of who we think they are.
There is a fine line between the need for trust and the need for skepticism. There comes a point when an individual is in over his head and needs to trust the opinion and experience of an expert. However, until that point is reached, people are more skeptical than trustful. One example of this great skepticism is trust in government. Multiple studies by the Pew Research Center have demonstrated that since the mid 1900’s the public’s trust in the government has plummeted from 70%-75% of the population to 20%-30%, both in Federal government as well as partisan institutions (“Distrust”). For some, there is skepticism of business. This is evident throughout history, as the Gilded Age’s big businesses were brought to an end and again today as people worry about monopolies and businesses completely taking over.
ReplyDeleteEducation enhances skepticism. As my government teacher told us at the beginning of the semester, “By the end of this class, you will all be skeptics of the government. That’s usually how it works out.” By educating ourselves about the roles and actions of institutions, our skepticism increases as we wonder why they do specific things. Skepticism can also arise as we are educated about ideas; we can become skeptical about our own beliefs from these ideas and vice versa. As demonstrated by the table “Public Trust in Government,” the public’s skepticism of the government did not begin to severely plummet until 1965 and well into the 1970s, the same time as the government’s secrets of Vietnam were being revealed and the Watergate Scandal occurred (“Distrust”). This sudden influx of information created skepticism in the American people which has not ended. Education, both formal and simply hearing or learning about something, can indeed cause an increase in skepticism.
"Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor." Pew Research Center for the
People and the Press RSS. Pew Research Center, 18 Apr. 2010. Web. July 2013.
Section 1: Trust in Government 1958-2010
You should not just blindly trust someone because even good intentioned people make mistakes. It is good to do your own research on big issues in your life concerning medical needs, research opinions, or things of that nature. However, you will eventually have to believe that the person with the title doctor is correct, but I think that if others you know solidly confirm their methods and liabilities then it is okay for you to do the same. You could also listen to your sub conscious because that appears to know things you do not even know yourself.
ReplyDelete-Ashley Huhman
In part I think Ashley is right. We cannot just fully trust everything we hear and see from someone because we are all capable of making wrong decisions and mistakes. I believe that in order to trust someone he or she must prove time and again that they are responsible and are accurate in their responses. To believe someone who is a professional in a field is a good idea because of their extensive time and energy in the subject area, however not all professionals have good intentions. Truthfully, trusting someone boils down to personal experiences and beliefs about that person.
DeleteI think that for the most part our culture is divided in this area. While there are many people who trust blindly in multiple institutions and titles, there are also many people who are skeptical due to the education they have received, as Darby mentioned. As a student at East Central University I can testify to the fact that I have become more skeptical of those in "authority" and their actual knowledge on a particular subject; I feel like the more I am exposed to new ideas and concepts, the more the curtain is pulled away and my view of the actual "Wizard of Oz" is uncovered as I realized my initial perception of the Wizard was not nearly the same as reality.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the thought crossed my mind to attach a quote from a well-known person or institution about the nature of trust and the need of the public to think for themselves and rely on factual information. However, after thinking on the area for a while, I have realized that it would be slightly ironic considering that it requires a blog reader's complete trust in my authority as an Honors student as well as trust in the source of the quote in being accurate. Just a silly thought, but a thought from my OWN head nonetheless.
-Emily Davis
I think that people today are way too trusting of famous people. Due to the rising prices of products, inflation, and the state of the economy, people are more willing than ever to save money. Home remedies are examples of this. Tips and tricks that promise to save time and money are advertised everywhere. Celebrities tend to have a major influence on the general public. Companies use famous people to advertise their product. When people see their favorite actor, singer, or athlete “using” a product, it seems to make that product more appealing. More than likely, those celebrities are not actually using these products on a regular basis. They do the commercials or pose for photos because they get paid for it. I think that the slim chance or mere idea that a famous celebrity is using the same product as you makes you feel more confident that it works.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it can be valuable to listen to experts and well-known individuals. I think that we should listen to what they have to say, assess it in our own mind, and then research it accordingly. We should not believe everything we hear, but we should not toss it out of our minds either. Dr. Oz is famous for appearing on Oprah. I am not saying that he is not right in the things that he says, but one should be skeptical. He is on a well-known show with a famous host. This automatically makes people presume that he is trustworthy.
I do not think that someone with an education makes them more intelligible than someone without an education. There are several people who have become extremely successful without going to college. Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world, dropped out of college to become an entrepreneur. Paul Allen, Gates’s partner in Microsoft, also dropped out of college. Andrew Jackson, the sixth president of the United States, did not go to college. John D. Rockefeller Sr. was a high school dropout, and he became an entrepreneur in the oil industry and one of the richest men. Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, never even graduated high school. There are several others who have become successful without receiving formal education.
I agree with Emily in the sense that the growth and expansion of our own personal knowledge is the antidote for blind trust. While no one is perfect, ideally, you should be able to trust someone who has experience in the field they are discussing. That being said, having basic knowledge about a wide variety of things can bring more clarity and aid in deciphering the information that is being given, regardless of their fame or "experience."
ReplyDeleteNow days it's hard to find a balance of "trust". People either trust in everything experts say, or absolutely none of it. Society seems to be split between the two extremes rather than falling in the middle. As we grow older and are opened to new things, we realize that not everything we are told is true. This causes us to start questioning what we are told rather than blindly following. One great example isn't really a quote, but it still has the same meaning. "Elementary: Here is a basic understanding of how history and the world works. High School: Actually, that's not quite right, it's a lot more complicated than that. College: Everything you know is wronnggggggg.." A bit random, but it does have a pretty good point. As kids we were taught to trust our parents and teachers, and we believed anything they told us (tooth fairy, Easter bunny...) However once we become older and more experienced, we start seeing that the truth isn't in black in white, which is why it's so hard for some people to accept what experts say. I think that we need to look for the balance between the two extremes. We need to listen to what experts have to say, but in an analytically way. Instead of using education as a way to make us more distrustful of experts, we need to use what we learned to decipher our own meaning from what they tell us. There are times when we do have to trust what others tell us (like when we go to the doctor), but that doesn't mean we don't need to think about it.
ReplyDeleteIt’s hard to say whether people today are too trustful or skeptical. It depends on what type of person someone deems as an “expert,” and what the subject is. Usually we automatically trust information from the media about celebrity gossip, the weather, a breaking news story. Obviously those are shallow compared to scientific discoveries, religious controversy, and the government. I think we should question the latter list; they can influence our opinion, or change our thinking entirely and alter our life course, sometimes not by choice. We need to question what we believe is true and find ways to support it in general life but not so much that we become skeptical of every little thing that comes at us. Be open-minded when new discoveries come around, when differing opinions and reports from peers are shared; still, if we are seriously considering what we learn, we should research the topic through different sources. I loved Chase’s quote: “By all means let’s be open-minded, but not so open-minded our brains fall out.”
ReplyDeleteSometimes it seems we believe what’s on television a little too easily based on the way the advertisement is put together, who is endorsing it, what channel it’s on. Personally, when watching national news I become more skeptical of the government as scandals are revealed, court cases continually reported on are so controversial, political figures are exposed. I trust what is being said because of reporters constantly updating me as soon as more information comes in; doctors, lawyers, psychologists, counselors, officers, politicians, professors, etc. are brought in to explain or comment on issues, and I deem them trustworthy because of the amount of work they have had to put in to gain that title or job. So in that instance, I’m trusting the source and skeptical of the topic. Confusing.
If it has to be black and white I’d say people today are too trusting. But there are plenty of us who find the gray. Education helps an individual qualify or contradict information to fit their opinion no matter who is the source; education empowers us to make intelligent choices on what we believe instead of taking anybody’s word for it. -Elizabeth Keck