In the past, experts were people who had studied a subject well enough to be the ones to trust and rely on when expertise was needed. In comparison to the population, the number of experts was small and the number of people who didn’t see themselves as equipped to deal with the subject was quite large. The Do-It-Yourself movement wasn’t invented yet and the internet didn’t provide as much information as it does today.

Today the number of people who see themselves as able to contribute to the expert’s subject outnumbers the number of available experts. This is not bad per se, but it probably would be more useful to consider how such contributions foster critical thinking instead of considering it as existing knowledge.

Experts develop their knowledge by connecting concepts and information with experience. Critical thinking allows us to build, enhance, and use this connection through conversations with others.