On Expertise Cultivating Character, Goodwill, and Practical Wisdom

On Expertise is a robust defense of the expert class. Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher examines modern and ancient theories of expertise through the lens of rhetoric and interviews some forty professionals, revealing how they understand their own expertise and how they came to be known as "experts." She shows that expertise requires not only knowledge and skill but also, crucially, an acknowledgment by others―both specialists and laypeople―that one is a credible authority. At its heart, expertise is a rhetorical construct, and to be persuasive, experts must have the ability to apply their knowledge and skills rightly―in the right way, at the right time, to achieve the right end. Ultimately, Mehlenbacher argues that experts apply their technical knowledge effectively and win others' trust through acting prudently and cultivating goodwill.
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