The credibility of experts comes from knowledge and goodwill

On May 17th, the official website of the University of Waterloo, Canada introduced the new book "Professional: Cultivation of Character, Goodwill and Practical Wisdom" by Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher, an associate professor of the school's English language and literature. The book reviews the ancient and modern theories of professionalism from the perspective of rhetoric, discuss the concept of professionalism and why the public in Western countries trust or do not trust professionals on major issues.

Today, Westerners have deep distrust of experts. Under the influence of populism, some people have questioned or completely ignore the insights of scientists, scholars and other professional training. The vast number of western people seems to have lost interest in professional knowledge. On the Internet, not everyone pays attention to the accuracy of information, nor is everyone's behavior motivation is justified and honest.

Those who believe in error information may cause serious consequences on important issues such as epidemic diseases and climate change. Taking the new coronary pneumonia epidemic as an example, understanding and response to the professional knowledge required for the epidemic involves many fields, identifying experts and evaluating its professionalism is a huge challenge. Especially in the moment when the real information and "pseudo -experts" are everywhere, it is difficult to judge who should trust and who should listen to.

It is impossible for any individual or institution to become an expert in everything. If we want to make a more wise decision, we need to rely on others -people who have a specific qualification or in a specific position, such as doctors or university professors. However, professionalism is far more than qualifications and positions. The new work of Male Bach examines how ordinary people and experts think of professionalism, which is related to the research content of multiple disciplines such as ethics, sociology, psychology, and education. She visited about 40 professionals and found that when experts talked about professionalism, they often thought that solving problems and understanding of others' skills was the key. In other words, professionals will attach great importance to how to identify and discuss issues in a manner suitable for specific conditions, and take appropriate action.

At the same time, the concept of "experts" is also changing, and many ordinary people now participate in scientific research activities as "citizen scientists" and make contributions. "The forms of professional knowledge are diverse, including scientific knowledge, traditional knowledge, local knowledge, and local knowledge. To solve complex problems, different types of professional knowledge need to be combined." Malen Bach talked.

In recent years, the dislocation and contempt of experts have been common on the Internet. From the view of Male Bach, what changes in people's views on experts and what has gone to change is worthy of attention. First of all, because the network platform is anonymous and the fake personal information is multiple, this makes people worry that they believe in the wrong person or be foolish. Secondly, the "pseudo -experts" manufacture and spread false news, intentionally destroy the public's trust in experts. Finally, some people use bad means to try to break the reputation of real experts. For example, the claims that scientific researchers have published errors for professional promotion; genderism, racism, anti -Jewie, disabled discrimination, and other forms of prejudice are used to weaken the credibility of experts.

McLaren Bach said that everyone should deal with information with critical thinking, and experts can also rebuild the public's trust in the public by improving scientific communication. Share knowledge in a transparent way and explain the limitations of knowledge, and show your understanding of the situation and the audience, which can make the communication effect better. For example, public health officials can explain to the public the trend of changes in major epidemic diseases, the limitations of known information, and the reasons for making specific decisions. Of course, this is not easy. Another urgent problem is that disadvantaged groups such as women have been highly risky when they are involved in public affairs. "We should analyze the operation mode of these personal attacks, and provide support for the affected people. Many scholars have lamented that goodwill dialogue is gradually decreasing on topics that need professional knowledge. And understand the scientific communication strategy of complex diversity of professional knowledge, "Malenbach said.

The book is a strong defense of experts. It shows that the identity of the expert not only means that a person has special knowledge and skills, but also means that others recognize its credibility and authority. If experts want to be convincing, they must make good use of their knowledge and skills. Only by cautious action and maintaining goodwill can experts effectively apply technical knowledge.

Source: China Social Science Network-Journal of Social Sciences of China

Author: Wang Youran/Compilation

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