"So how do we settle upon reliable knowledge, when there are no closed questions and no expert is beyond challenge? Only by getting a lot smarter in evaluating the claims from millions of competing sources using basic standards of trustworthiness and authority - an epidemiologist’s opinion on vaccination deserves more credence than that of a TV star.
At the same time, we dare not tune out the voices of dissenters, agitators, and nonexperts. Sometimes, they’re right, and we pay a high price for ignoring them.
Better to set high standards for our information sources. Insist they justify their claims, with plenty of links to supporting data. The very network that delivers their ideas will help us evaluate those ideas."
