People are now exposed to more information than ever before, provided both by technology and by increasing access to every level of education. Tom Nichols argues that these societal gains have helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Nichols has deeper concerns than the current rejection of expertise and learning, noting that when ordinary citizens believe that no one knows more than anyone else, democratic institutions themselves are in danger of falling either to populism or to technocracy, or both. The Death of Expertise is not only an exploration of a dangerous phenomenon but also a warning about the stability and survival of modern democracy in the Information Age.
A meal is included with admission; tickets are available at https://spurfestival.ca/books-that-spur-tom-nichols/