Discussion: Do We Trust The Experts?

* Shoes-Off Venue * *
This venue requires that you remove your outdoor footwear on arrival.

* * Feel free to bring food or drinks * *
* * Participation is optional - you can join us to speak or to listen * *

Experts: the people who know stuff, unlike us, the plebes and laypeople whose opinions bear little weight or significance! If we want to know how the pyramids were built, we should ask an archaeologist. If we want to understand the spread of disease, we ask an epidemiologist. How did our whole universe explode out of nothingness? Ask a cosmologist. Experts are those who have devoted their lives to study, and they are the best people to answer questions within their field.

But how do we normies grapple with the concept of expertise, and our lack of it? We too must formulate our own opinions and make our decisions. Which political party will best represent my interests? Which diet advice should I follow? Which parenting philosophy should I apply in raising my children? Should I follow public health measures as recommended, or follow my own beliefs at the risk of harming my health, and that of others? Experts weigh in, but these decisions are ultimately our own.

When should we defer to experts for guidance in this complex world of narrow specialization, and when should we assert our autonomy to disagree? What even makes someone an expert? How do we determine who are the real experts vs the grifters, scammers, quacks, shills, and pseudointellectuals that profit by deceiving us with fake expertise? How do we non-experts know which experts to trust when (by definition) we lack lack the expertise to do so?

Join us for fun, friendly and substantive discussion about the important topics of the day. All viewpoints are welcome for this friendly, moderated discussion.

How it Works
Everyone will be invited to share their opinion, share relevant facts and reasoning, and respond to the views of others.

Our moderator will ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to speak and that dialogue will be kept respectful. All viewpoints are welcome. After the event, you are invited to stay for friendly, informal discussion if you wish.

Name and Pronoun Preferences
If you have specific pronoun preferences or any other requests to help ensure that you feel comfortable and respected, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the event organizer. Your needs and preferences are important to us, and we want to make sure our gatherings are supportive and inclusive for all attendees.

Aren't you worried about having an event with 50+ people?!?
No because there will not be 50 people at the event. On Meetup, many attendees cancel at the last minute, and many are no-shows who skip the event without cancelling. I set the RSVP limit to 55 people, I reduce that limit to 45 in the last two days before the event, and then 20-30 people will actually attend.

This allows us to hit our attendance target of 15-30 people, and it ensures that attendees have their spot guaranteed weeks in advance. This makes the guest count inaccurate, but it's the simplest way to provide you a reliable and positive RSVP experience.

Suggested Reading
Any suggestions?

Ideals
Please read the Studio 42 Ideals before attending the event:
http://stu42.co/ideals

Admission
Admission is free. We accept donations to help fund our events.

Latecomers
Latecomers are welcome but we start promptly at 6:05pm so if you arrive late, you will miss out!