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Revision as of 22:42, 6 February 2001 by JimboWales (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)It is not at all easy to say what an expert is. This is actually studied in EpistemOlogy under the general heading ExpertKnowledge. On one account, put very roughly, an expert is a person who is (or, perhaps, is widely recognized to be) a reliable (see ReliabilIsm) source of KnowledgeByTestimony for other people.
Can be contrasted with CrankS, who think they know what they are talking about, but don't. And with AcademicElitism, a syndrome of those who think that ONLY they know what they are talking about, and no one else does.