Responding to social change inevitably involves deferring to experts with specialist knowledge and experience. But who counts as expert, on what, and to what extent, are questions squarely in the province of humanities.
I am engaged in how humanities can produce expertise on experts to help qualify, uncover and check the power of ideas.
We live in a complex world. Disciplinary boundaries need to be broken and unusual alliances formed to shift attitudes for change.
Creating social knowledge often involves taking sides on philosophical questions concerning the nature of responsibility, freedom and morality. Experts should bear this in mind when advising decision makers.
Expertise is under increasing scrutiny. This scrutiny needs to be embraced and understood if we are to resolve this age of disinformation.
The political contestation of experts and their knowledge is one consequence of the profound turbulence affecting governance in the current era. The question now is whether the democratisation of expertise might also be harnessed by those seeking to re-invent public policy in the age of disruption.
In an age of rapid technological and social change we find ourselves at a crossroads. The center’s interdisciplinary teams are engaged in groundbreaking research, seeking answers that will guide us along the right path. I am excited to be a part of this initiative.
