Expertise, Knowledge and Intuition in Blogging

by Darren Rowse

‘Suppose’, I asked, ‘your gall-bladder has to be removed this evening. Will you choose a surgeon who has read some books on anatomy and knows where to find your gall-bladder, or a surgeon who relies on his intuition?'

I would instead ask:

‘Suppose’, I asked, ‘your gall-bladder has to be removed this evening. Will you choose a surgeon who has experience and performed similar operations before, or a surgeon who has read some books on anatomy and knows where to find your gall-bladder?'

As I have insisted before, information (e.g. books) is externalised experience of the writer. We, human, have the ability to assimilate others experience as our own - may be except those suffering from autism. While reading (or experiecing third person experience) is most efficient way to get some acquantance in a field, it is pedagogically the least desirable way.

First person expeerience, "been there, done that", is the best. If not economically possible or too dangerous, the second best would be "simulated" experience.

What do you think?