The Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters

Tim Nichols has crafted what amounts to a modern take on Richard Hofstadter’s 1967 masterpiece, “Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.” Nichols contemporary perspective wrestles with many modern advancements that Hofstadter did not have to content with. These new developments have led us to what I’m calling Anti-Intellectualism 2.0. Nichols paints a bleak picture of intellectual life in America as impacted by the spread of misinformation via the internet. The impact of social media and news overload. What the Covid pandemic did to create suspicion against experts among the general public and more. Like Hofstadter though, Nichols does not have as honest a look at the role racism and bigotry play in perpetuating anti-intellectual fervor in America. Despite that omission, Nichols has hit on gold here that is important reading for all. Key takeaways include a clarification that experts explain the world rather than predict all its outcomes. Beware the expert sage with a looking glass. Likewise, the general public has a duty to be read up on, discerning, and posses critical thinking skills itself. The gap between the public and expert camps only widens when the public is incapable of wrestling critically with the deluge of information we get daily. There are multiple editions. The latest released in 2024. I recommend that one for its reflections on the original 2017 version and the geopolitical events in between. Hofstadter’s and Nichols pair well together and book end modern intellectual opinions for the most part. I’d add in Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America” to balance it all out with a perspective on an emerging America. The three authors forming the triumvirate opinion on American Intellectual sentiment.