Tom Nichols on the Death of Expertise

Tom Nichols is an academic specialist on international affairs, currently a professor at the U.S. Naval War College and at the Harvard Extension School. His work deals with issues involving Russia, nuclear weapons, and national security affairs. He was previously a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Nichols taught international relations as well as Soviet and Russian Affairs at Dartmouth College and Georgetown University. He was also a fellow in the International Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. Nichols was the Chairman of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College where he also held the Forrest Sherman Chair of Public Diplomacy. Nichols is a former Secretary of the Navy Fellow and also a fellow in the International Security Program and the Project on Managing the Atom at the Harvard Kennedy School.

 

 

 

 

Lyrics to the song that was inspired by the interview:

 THE DEATH OF EXPERTISE

Having strong opinions 
Is not the same as knowing things 
Experts are more likely to be right 

Now we're all.... 
Google-fuelled and wiki-fed 
Conspiracies, easily led 
Our feelings matter more to us than facts 

Experts say unanimously 
It's the death of expertise 
Democracy's in jeopardy 
We're our own worst enemy 
the death of expertise 

Ignorance was made a virtue by 
Social entrepreneurs who 
Confuse obscurantism with humility 

But now we're 
all omnicompetent 
And demanding  our entitlement 
Our society could quickly cease to function 

Experts say unanimously 
It's the death of expertise       
Democracy's in jeopardy 
We're our own worst enemy 
the death of expertise 

Ensuring all have equal rights 
Doesn't mean that all opinions are right 

And disagreeings not insulting 
Saying you're wrong's not saying you're stupid 

It's not elitist or undemocratic 
To say that professionals know more about their work 
than you do 

Experts say unanimously 
It's the death of expertise       
Democracy's in jeopardy 
We're our own worst enemy 
the death of expertise