MUST YOU BELIEVE IT?

Are Experts Always Right?

However knowledgeable they may be, experts in any field may have conflicting ideas and shifting opinions.  Take, for example, the ongoing debate in medical science on something as basic  as causes of illness.  "The relative importance of nature versus nurture in illness forms the fabric of heated debate among scientists," writes a professor of medicine at Harvard University.  Those in what has been called the determinist camp believe strongly that our genes play a decisive role in our susceptibility to various diseases.  Others, however, contend that the environment and life-style are the major factors in human pathology. Both sides are quick to cite studies and statistics to support their case.  Nonetheless, the debate continues.

The most renowned of thinkers have been proved wrong again and again, even though what they taught seemed at the time to be beyond dispute.  Philosopher Bertrand Russell described Aristotle as one of "the most influential of all philosophers."  Yet, Russell also pointed out that many of Aristotle's doctrines were "wholly false."  "Throughout modern times,"  he wrote,  "practically every advance in science, in logic, or in philosophy has had to be made in the teeth of opposition from Aristotle's  disciples." -History of Western Philosophy.

Next time: "The Falsely Called Knowledge"

Watchtower, 2000