Book Symposium: Expert Authority and the Limits of Critical Thinking by Thomas Grundmann

Book Symposium on Thomas Grundmann's forthcoming book Expert Authority and the Limits of Critical Thinking (OUP)

Abstract of the book: Public confidence in scientific experts is high, particularly in times of crisis. But experts are not beyond doubt. In his forthcoming book, Thomas Grundmann argues that a different attitude towards experts is needed. Laypeople should stop thinking for themselves and typically defer to experts. In short, laypeople should treat experts as epistemic authorities. Grundmann presents a novel argument for this bold view and engages with its main challenges. For example, doesn’t the view make experts too powerful and completely immune to criticism? The book replies to these and many more concerns about the authority of experts. On its way issues such as the history of epistemic authority, expert identification, the role of expert authority in resisting conspiracy theories, epistemic autonomy, and the role of experts in politics are addressed.