Week 15 Reflection -- Expert Failure

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Dr. Roger Koppl's lecture was very eye opening about a problem I did not realize I have faced myself. I have been told many times not to believe everything I hear, however I never took the time to realize that piece of advice applies to what I hear from experts as well. Without realizing, I tend to assume experts will not manipulate their power, forgetting they are also all human with their own personal agendas as well. Dr. Koppl's several examples of expert failure served as a great reminder for the reason why we have to acknowledge the existence of expert power. I was especially taken back by his mentioning of the poisonous drinking water in Michigan (Minute 16). Realizing our country's health experts are responsible for ensuring we have clean and safe drinking water, I grew very concerned to see how such a crucial task slipped through their hands. This significant fail in the hands of our experts is a prime example as to why we have to realize expertise does not mean perfection. In his lecture, Dr. Koppl warns us of how manipulative experts truly are; many experts get away with abusing their power due to our bad habit of believing anything they claim. It is truly scary to think of how experts are aware of our tendency to accept what they call the truth; by falling for whatever experts tell us, we are essentially believing, "non-experts are powerless," which is far from the truth (Minute 24). I believe every person has a set of unique experiences unlike another, leaving every individual with a type of expertise someone else does not know much about. With that being said, just because someone does not have the "expert" title, does not mean he/she does not have seriously useful insight to the conversation. After watching Dr. Koppl's lecture, I have realized the importance in breaking this gullible habit by adapting a cautious mindset where we seek proof for an expert's claim when presented to us. I also feel the amount of examples of expert failure and manipulative experts Dr. Koppl was able to mention in his presentation is truly saddening and resembles the amount of times we have placed our complete trust in humans who ultimately let us down. It is evident we have fallen for expert power far too many times and I hope to never forget to proceed with caution around expert power from now on.