What is Expert Power
Expert Power is when an expert is able to sway a situation because they are so highly respected in their field of study, that no one questions them. Expert power is dangerous because when experts are trusted without question it can lead to expert failure, where the advice of experts is found out to be flawed.
Dangers of Expert Power
According to Dr. Roger Koppl in a lecture given on his book, Expert Failure, there are three key things to keep in mind when accessing the reliability of experts. This is not to say that you cannot trust experts, or experts' opinions, simply that you should consider that experts are not infallible.
Firstly, Koppl states that experts “do not always seek the truth" and that they “are not smarter than others.” While experts might have more knowledge in one area than others this does not mean that they are more intelligent, or able to take a more generalized view, than other people. Finally, Koppl concludes by saying that “incentives skew the distribution of expert errors” meaning that sometimes, for a variety of reasons, there may be an incentive to provide an opinion that aligns with a secondary goal.
Additionally, because experts are human, this leaves the potential to get things wrong and lead people astray. This is particularly possible when experts are working in a monopolistic industry or environment and are allowed to make decisions for others with little to no oversight.
My Thoughts
I believe that Koppl made some particularly good points about how people rely on experts without ever questioning other possibilities. I had never considered how most expert opinions are exactly that, opinions, based on someone’s previous knowledge. I feel like this was an oversight on my part. I too have fallen into the trap of believing the opinions from articles I saw online, simply because the quote came from a "credible” source. I am not saying trusting people with experience is a bad thing, we need experts to solve problems and bring insight into issues. However, if we all become blind to the fact experts are human too, and can make mistakes, then we are much more likely to fall victim to expert failure.
Overall, I do believe expert failure does pose a threat in the current age. Experts are cited as sources in many different arguments and can often present conflicting information. This leads to people having to make up their minds depending on what expert they trust the most. While dissenting opinions leave much room for competition and innovation, I believe all involved should have a healthy respect for the potential of their experts to make mistakes. I think Koppl best sums it up by stating “value expertise but fear expert power.”
Koppl, R. (2020, February 7). Roger Koppl; Expert Failure. YouTube.
