Last week, President Trump said of his opponent, Vice President Biden, “he’ll listen to the scientists.” In case you’re confused, this was meant to be an insult. Indeed, the president seems to take pride in the extent to which he has ignored the advice of experts of all different stripes. From economists on trade, to scientists on handling the pandemic and climate change, to intelligence officials on foreign threats, Trump has preferred to “go with his gut.”
There are reasons to be skeptical of experts. Most importantly, they aren’t gods, and therefore they aren’t always right. When we elevate them to a status where we treat their words as infallible, then we are bound to be disappointed. When President Trump criticizes experts, taking every word they say as true is the strawman he is criticizing. Everyone (even Anthony Fauci) makes ill-advised statements on occasion. If an expert must be perfect in order to be listened to, then we should never listen to anyone (including the president). To read the full story.