Week 15 Response: Why We Should Value Expertise, But Fear Expert Power

What is the difference between expertise and expert power? Where do we draw the line?

Expertise is a specific skill or knowledge in a certain aspect usually of an occupation. A common example is how there are surgeons and they have an expertise in some aspect of surgery. Another example is an agronomist who may have an expertise with vineyards. An expert is slightly different compared to expertise. Someone who has incomparable skill in a certain area. The tricky part is understanding that someone can be an expert agronomist in vineyards, meaning they focus only on vineyards and what they pertain while an agronomist who has an expertise in vineyards is more well rounded in knowledge, but generally knows more in that specific area. In a general statement, expertise is less knowledge than an expert, and expertise has more well-rounded knowledge in their field. Now moving on to the concept of what exactly expert power is. Expert power is the fact that experts have an immense amount of influence in their field. An expert generally has more knowledge and is not challenged by those who have expertise because an expert puts more time and effort into that specific field. They study more intensely and focus on one topic that they choose, so people look to experts about various topics. They have the power to change aspects of their field. If the majority of expert vineyard agronomists decided to completely change the fertilizer ratios because they believe it would benefit the crops, many people would listen and change even if it was untested. Drawing the line between the difference in expertise and an expert truly depends on the occupation. Looking at the example I have used I would consider the line between expert and expertise would be how much they practice their focus. If they practice only working on vineyards and rarely work on other types of crops, then I would consider them an expert. On the other hand, if they are more well-rounded and work mostly on other crops and prefer vineyards then that would be considered someone with expertise. The line does get more blurred or clear depending on the occupation though.