From the use of expert testimony in the courtroom to the advice we rely
on to solve key economic, political, and social problems, expertise is
an essential part of our decision-making process. However, the extent to
which experts can be trusted is a subject of persistent and contentious
debate.
The Philosophy of Expertise is the first collection to explore the
fundamental philosophical issues surrounding these authorities and their
expert knowledge. Part 1 considers the problems surrounding the issue of
trust and deference; part 2 launches a phenomenological clarification of
expertise that pinpoints the universal structures embodied in cognition
and affect; and part 3 examines the consequences of the social and
technical externalization of expertise.
Contributors including Edward Said, Alvin Goldman, Peter Singer, Hubert
Dreyfus, Julia Annas, Harry Collins, and Don Ihde draw on a number of
intellectual approaches to explore the justification of expert
authority, the potentially dangerous role of expertise in a liberal
democratic society, how laypeople can critique experts, and the social
and ideological character of expert advice. The contributors also
discuss the reasoning process of judges and juries, the ancient Greek
view of moral conduct, and the incorporation of experts into
governmental bureaucracy.
By honestly tackling the legitimacy and consistency of various
positions, this volume sheds much-needed light on the theoretical
dimensions of a controversial and pervasive practice.
Contributors: Alvin I. Goldman, Don Ihde, Edward Said, Evan Selinger and
John Mix, Evan Selinger and Robert P. Crease, H. M. Collins and Robert
Evans, Helene Mialet, Hubert Dreyfus, John Hardwig, Julia Annas, Paul
Feyerabend, Peter Singer, Scott Brewer, Steve Fuller, Steven Turner
