> People who spend a lifetime learning about something will, on average, make better decisions about that thing then you or I
...at the expense of things they are not experts in. Ask an expert in virology how to prevent spread of the virus and they will give you a good answer. But that doesn't mean turning their advice into a mandated policy will work out well. Game theory comes into play there and an expert in virology is likely not an expert in game theory, politics, economics, or anything else involving policies affecting 350M+ people.
This. I'm a scientist working on identifying therapeutics for COVID-19. The number of relevant kinds of expertise is very large. There is no COVID-19 expert whose background covers everything, thus everyone has blind spots. It doesn't mean we should throw up our hands, but it does mean a bit of humility is in order from everyone involved. Unfortunately, that level of nuance and honesty does not seem possible in public debate. I really hate seeing science in public because it is quite different from what I experience in person.
...at the expense of things they are not experts in. Ask an expert in virology how to prevent spread of the virus and they will give you a good answer. But that doesn't mean turning their advice into a mandated policy will work out well. Game theory comes into play there and an expert in virology is likely not an expert in game theory, politics, economics, or anything else involving policies affecting 350M+ people.