Should one trust experts?

Hein Duijf

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Should one trust experts? My answer to this question is a qualified ‘no’ (and a qualified ‘yes’). In this paper I explore the conditions under which it is rational to trust and defer to experts, and those under which it may be rational to refrain from doing so. I draw on two important factors for an actor’s trust in a partner: trust depends on the partner’s competence and on the partner’s interests (and benevolence). I propose that the conditions under which it is rational to trust and defer to experts depend on the competences of the layperson and the expert, and the degree of interest alignment. I present a model that demonstrates that it can be practically infeasible and even logically impossible to determine the expert’s level of competence and the degree of interest alignment. Although it may sound pessimistic that one can rationally refrain from trusting experts, I will also explore some more optimistic conclusions.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9289-9312
Number of pages24
JournalSynthese
Volume199
Issue number3-4
Early online date21 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2021

Keywords

  • trust
  • experts
  • social epistemology
  • interest alignment
  • competence

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