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thenousman OP t1_j197l7t wrote

Reply to comment by sQGNXXnkceeEfhm in Epistemic Trespassing: Stay in your lane mf by thenousman

Yeah and I should just reiterate that epistemic trespassing can only be done by someone who is an expert and that it can be considered wrong when it constitutes an abuse of expert authority that neglects novice vulnerabilities.

Here and, in everyday, we aren’t normally going about our lives (and certainly not in all matters) as experts so I don’t think such concern is warranted.

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noonemustknowmysecre t1_j19x14q wrote

Here in our everyday lives we go to places like /r/philosophy and pretend to be experts on everything. I don't think the scale of the stakes matter.

I had some dude claim "as a biochem engineer, I know frogs' sex is determined by their Y chromosome", when frogs don't have a Y chromosome. People try to appeal to (their) authority all the time.

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sQGNXXnkceeEfhm t1_j19hyqp wrote

In the context of an expert though, where do you draw the line on confidence?

I agree that, in the courtroom case, it is obviously too far (and generally have no patience for doctors with absolutely NO grasp of statistics). But I do see how we get here: a doctor has to guide her patients through decisions. If she has to give advice that she is only 99% certain of (say, telling a patient they likely have 6 weeks vs 6 months to live), at some point they have to make the call themselves and not consult a statistician.

So basically, I think that the position of expert encourages this, as they will become more and more confident in their non-expert area over time.

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iiioiia t1_j19un96 wrote

> In the context of an expert though, where do you draw the line on confidence?

I say: at drawing conclusions (upgrading propositions to facts). It is not necessary to categorize something as a fact before taking action, it is only a cultural norm. The world runs mostly on mere belief, it just doesn't appear that way.

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thenousman OP t1_j19q4iu wrote

I dunno, it’s an active area of research. But I agree about human nature tends towards overconfidence.

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iiioiia t1_j19u6yt wrote

> Yeah and I should just reiterate that epistemic trespassing can only be done by someone who is an expert

As described in this article (you're the author I think?), but all people can engage in opining on matters without epistemic soundness, which may not be the exact same thing, but if considered comprehensively may very well have more causal importance.

> Here and, in everyday, we aren’t normally going about our lives (and certainly not in all matters) as experts

"A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one", though I'd say you are technically correct as it currently is, in the aggregate.

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