First, thanks for your comments on my comments, which I thought no-one would read on such an old article!
Re your quantum physics point, with unusual topics like this that overlap with philosophy (specifically metaphysics), it is true that physicists can be out of their depth on that part of it, and so someone with a strong understanding of metaphysics (even if not a professional philosopher as such) can point out errors in the physicists’ metaphysics. That said, saying X is clearly wrong (due to faulty metaphysics) is a weaker claim than that Y is clearly right, particularly if there are many competing views. (As there are AFAIK even in the philosophy of QM.) Just as a professional physicist can’t be certain about getting the metaphysics bit of QM right, even a professional philosopher couldn’t be certain about the physics bit of it; not certain enough to claim a slam-dunk. So without going into the specifics of the case (which I’m not qualified to do) it still seems like an overreach.
Also, more generally, I assume interdisciplinary topics like this (for which a highly knowledgeable amateur could spot flaws in the reasoning of someone who’s a professional in one discipline but not the other) are the exception rather than the rule.
Re the economics case, well, for all I know, EY may well have been right in this case (and for the right reasons), but if so then it’s just a rare example of an amateur who has a very high professional-level understanding of a particular topic (though presumably not of various other parts of economics). I.e. this is an exception.
That said, and without going into the fine details of the case, the professionals here presumably include the top macroeconomists in Japan. Is it really plausible that EY understands the relevant economics and knows more relevant information than them? (E.g. they may well have considered all kinds of facts & figures that aren’t public or at least known to EY.) Which is presumably where the issue of other biases/influences on them would come in; and while I accept that there could be personal/political biases/reasons for doing the economically wrong thing, this can be too easy a way of dismissing expert opinion.
So I’d still put my money on the professional vs the amateur, however persuasive the latter’s arguments might seem to me. And again, the fact that the Bank of Japan’s decision turned out badly may just show that economics is an inexact science, in which correct bets can turn out badly and incorrect bets turn out well.
One other exception I’d like to add to my original comment: it is certainly true that a highly expert professional in a field can be very inexpert in topics that are close to but not within their own specialism. (I know of this in my own case, and have observed it in others, e.g. lawyers. E.g. a corporate lawyer may only have a sketchy understanding of IP law. Though they are well aware of this.)
First, thanks for your comments on my comments, which I thought no-one would read on such an old article!
Re your quantum physics point, with unusual topics like this that overlap with philosophy (specifically metaphysics), it is true that physicists can be out of their depth on that part of it, and so someone with a strong understanding of metaphysics (even if not a professional philosopher as such) can point out errors in the physicists’ metaphysics. That said, saying X is clearly wrong (due to faulty metaphysics) is a weaker claim than that Y is clearly right, particularly if there are many competing views. (As there are AFAIK even in the philosophy of QM.) Just as a professional physicist can’t be certain about getting the metaphysics bit of QM right, even a professional philosopher couldn’t be certain about the physics bit of it; not certain enough to claim a slam-dunk. So without going into the specifics of the case (which I’m not qualified to do) it still seems like an overreach.
Also, more generally, I assume interdisciplinary topics like this (for which a highly knowledgeable amateur could spot flaws in the reasoning of someone who’s a professional in one discipline but not the other) are the exception rather than the rule.
Re the economics case, well, for all I know, EY may well have been right in this case (and for the right reasons), but if so then it’s just a rare example of an amateur who has a very high professional-level understanding of a particular topic (though presumably not of various other parts of economics). I.e. this is an exception.
That said, and without going into the fine details of the case, the professionals here presumably include the top macroeconomists in Japan. Is it really plausible that EY understands the relevant economics and knows more relevant information than them? (E.g. they may well have considered all kinds of facts & figures that aren’t public or at least known to EY.) Which is presumably where the issue of other biases/influences on them would come in; and while I accept that there could be personal/political biases/reasons for doing the economically wrong thing, this can be too easy a way of dismissing expert opinion.
So I’d still put my money on the professional vs the amateur, however persuasive the latter’s arguments might seem to me. And again, the fact that the Bank of Japan’s decision turned out badly may just show that economics is an inexact science, in which correct bets can turn out badly and incorrect bets turn out well.
One other exception I’d like to add to my original comment: it is certainly true that a highly expert professional in a field can be very inexpert in topics that are close to but not within their own specialism. (I know of this in my own case, and have observed it in others, e.g. lawyers. E.g. a corporate lawyer may only have a sketchy understanding of IP law. Though they are well aware of this.)