The problem lies with us: we've become addicted to experts. We've become addicted to their certainty, their assuredness, their definitiveness, and in the process, we have ceded our responsibility, substituting our intellect and our intelligence for their supposed words of wisdom.
Interpretation
The quote warns against over-reliance on experts, urging individuals to maintain their own intellectual responsibility.
In this quote, Noreena Hertz critiques modern society's dependency on experts, suggesting that people have surrendered their own judgment and critical thinking in favor of the certainty and authority offered by those considered knowledgeable. This addiction to experts can lead to a loss of personal responsibility and intellectual independence, emphasizing the need for individuals to engage with information critically instead of simply deferring to others’ expertise.
In practice
In a debate about the role of science in society, one could quote this to emphasize the importance of independent thinking.
We live increasingly in a world of haves and have-nots, of gated communities next to ghettos, of extreme poverty and unbelievable riches. Some enjoy rights that are completely denied to others. Relative inequalities are exploding, and the world's poorest, despite all the advances of globalisation, may even be getting poorer.
The term 'glass ceiling' was coined in 1984. More than 20 years later, the ceiling has barely cracked. There isn't a single country in the world that has as many female as male politicians. In business, the situation is even worse. Its highest echelon - the board - remains a chauvinist's dream.
But I was too restless to watch long; I'm too Occidental for a long vigil. I could work at a problem for years, but to wait inactive for twenty-four hours - that's another matter.
There is something wonderful in seeing a wrong-headed majority assailed by truth.
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep.
It is reasonable to have perfection in our eye that we may always advance toward it, though we know it can never be reached.
My prayer became 'May I find peace... May I love this life no matter what.' I was seeking an inner refuge, an experience of presence and wholeness that could carry me through whatever losses might come.
In a magazine, one can get - from cover to cover - 15 to 20 different ideas about life and how to live it.
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