Comments on: Chomsky on the Economy http://velvethowler.com/2008/10/21/chomsky-on-the-economy/ So much more than you wanted. Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:32:47 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Bryan Klausmeyer http://velvethowler.com/2008/10/21/chomsky-on-the-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-4101 Bryan Klausmeyer Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:48:20 +0000 http://www.velvethowler.com/?p=1726#comment-4101 <p>I'm not the biggest fan of Noam Chomsky and I don't think what he has to say here is particularly enlightening, but at least in terms of the financial crisis, most of the experts were wrong (save for a handful).</p> <p>Of course this doesn't mean that any "Joe the Plumber"'s opinions on the economy are somehow more or less valuable than that of a so-called "expert"'s--a rather relativistic and untenable position I might add--but it does call into question the nature of expertise and to what extent expert opinion is derived from market sentiment, as opposed to the actual dynamics of the system, and whether "expertise" is merely <em>titular</em> or instead reflective of <em>an ability</em> to expertly reason and communicate.</p> <p>Personally I found these two programs on "This American Life" to be the most informative on the financial crisis (much better explained here than by the "experts"):</p> <ul> <li>http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=355</li> <li>http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1263</li> </ul> I’m not the biggest fan of Noam Chomsky and I don’t think what he has to say here is particularly enlightening, but at least in terms of the financial crisis, most of the experts were wrong (save for a handful).

Of course this doesn’t mean that any “Joe the Plumber“‘s opinions on the economy are somehow more or less valuable than that of a so-called “expert“‘s—a rather relativistic and untenable position I might add—but it does call into question the nature of expertise and to what extent expert opinion is derived from market sentiment, as opposed to the actual dynamics of the system, and whether “expertise” is merely titular or instead reflective of an ability to expertly reason and communicate.

Personally I found these two programs on “This American Life” to be the most informative on the financial crisis (much better explained here than by the “experts”):

]]> By: Jason http://velvethowler.com/2008/10/21/chomsky-on-the-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-4100 Jason Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:52:02 +0000 http://www.velvethowler.com/?p=1726#comment-4100 <p>With all due respect to Mr. Chomsky and all that he's accomplished as a linguist...why the hell is he being interviewed about the economy? I realize he can have an opinion and do research just like anyone else, but then what's the point of picking him? He's not an expert. Furthermore, his lack of expertise kind of shows in this interview.</p> With all due respect to Mr. Chomsky and all that he’s accomplished as a linguist…why the hell is he being interviewed about the economy? I realize he can have an opinion and do research just like anyone else, but then what’s the point of picking him? He’s not an expert. Furthermore, his lack of expertise kind of shows in this interview.

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