I don't disagree that higher education teaches critical thinking, but I think you are drastically overestimating the extent to which it is the exclusive domain through which people receive it.

I can't say I don't understand why. You can find some really good counterexamples among the uneducated.

But among them you can also find brilliant decision makers who AREN'T driven primarily by their own ambition and egos. Likewise, among professionals, you can find an ENDEMIC number who run only for personal ambition, have an overinflated estimation of their own ability to make decisions outside their area of expertise, and make decisions with a certain level of ingrained disdain for people they view below them.

There are good professionals who do care and don't run for ambition's sake, but in the case of them, the idea they need high compensation, which is where this discussion started, should be a moot point. Politics is intended to be a public SERVICE, not a full-time job with private industry-equivalent compensation. If it's not enough to serve because you want to do something to better your constituency, I don't want you in the role.

I'm not saying there aren't uneducated nincompoops, or that there aren't extremely competent and humble professionals running for office. All I'm saying is, given what I've seen of the patterns of who actually runs, all else being equal, unless I've seen evidence to the contrary in an individual, I will take a sincere, competent layman with sincere intentions over a professional every time.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

But among them you can also find brilliant decision makers who AREN’T driven primarily by their own ambition and egos. Likewise, among professionals, you can find an ENDEMIC number who run only for personal ambition, have an overinflated estimation of their own ability to make decisions outside their area of expertise, and make decisions with a certain level of ingrained disdain for people they view below them.

I think there is plenty of data which shows hatred, self-service, arrogance, and greed all correlate highly with lower levels of education. Exceptions make the rule. Look at the USA as an example, educated individuals lean left hard while the right literally just dismantled the department of education and makes teaching some subjects a crime. But me saying theres data probably means nothing to you, since you don't respect experts.

[–] mycodesucks@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I'll thank you not to put words in my mouth. I never said I don't respect experts, and I have REPEATEDLY throughout this conversation referred to experts as the EXCLUSIVE source of reliable knowledge, and information about options and consequences, so I'll thank you not to be disingenuous about my words.

That said, what I HAVE said is that those experts OBTAIN AND INTERPRET the data, and at that point, the decision no longer requires a PHD. The extensive studying and the information and options are now boiled down, and the making of the decision is left to a politician.

If that politician is, say, a constitutional lawyer, and this a decision about say, bridge tolls for a road maintenance fund, the lawyer doesn't have ANYTHING more to contribute to the decision making than the bartender. Any speculative professional knowledge he's using here is OUTSIDE his area of expertise. The bartender is FAR more likely to accept this and make the decision based on what is in front of them. The lawyer is FAR more likely to either feel like their professional knowledge gives them some special insight outside their area of expertise, a phenomenon known as "epistemic trespassing". And you actually see this in practice ALL THE TIME.

On the other hand, if the bartender is the politician, and we really need the lawyer's expertise on constitutional law? They can hire him. People don't LOSE the benefit of his knowledge because he isn't in the office.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago

"It's not that I don't respect experts its just that I trust my well spoken barkeep more than academic peer review and lifelong disciplines."