Sounds like my bosses. I love how pseudo-experts use as many buzz words as possible to explain how they will address an issue but when question further it becomes clear they have no idea what the buzz words stand for. It must be difficult having a INTJ as a employee since I actually read the journals or books they pretend too.

Great post. So true, especially about the pseudo experts being more vocal than the real experts.

On this topic, I have to recommend the book, The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Maybe I already have! (sorry, it’s worth recommending twice if I already did and forgot). It’s a book I actually bought–ok, I passed it to my dad, but still, I liked it that much.

Anyway, his discussion on experts–especially in the financial field is really, really interesting. He really turns the whole idea of experts in that field on it’s head. A fun and fascinating read–and closely related to our times.

I think that Taleb would argue that anyone who claims to know say what the stock market will do in the future is bogus. He also argues that the ‘experts’ in some fields actually do worse in predicting future outcomes than those who know less–that’s a massive simplification of his arguments, but to give an idea.

Anyway, it’s just a topic I find kind of fascinating.

“Since pseudo-experts do not know what they don’t know…”

Sometimes I find that those who readily admit to things that are not known are more likely to be real experts.

So far as I can tell there is a degree of uncertainty in the knowledge base of almost any field. As one increases his knowledge of a particular subject, he often increases his understanding of the uncertainty surrounding that knowledge.

The pseudo-expert, on the other hand, knows only the surface of the knowledge, and presents it with confidence– often not even aware of the uncertainty that lies beneath.

In my opinion the financial services world is heavily populated by pseudo-experts.

To piggy-back on Mo – pseudo experts claim to know everything (or act like they do) – dangerous.

Actual experts know where to look to find the correct answer and usually take the pride in their work that they get it right.

@PC – Put them in a situation they have not seen before.

I think there are more levels than just novice, pseudo-expert, and expert.

Speaking from experience, I know that it’s possible to gain education and experience in a subject that puts you beyond the level of novice, but nowhere near the level of expert. Not all of these folks are pseudo-experts, at least as I’m understanding your use of the term. (It sounds to me like you’re saying most pseudo-experts think they’re experts; they may know more than a novice, but not as much as they think they do.)

In some ways, this is like your Renaissance Man, theory, right?

* An expert is like a specialist, somebody who has extensive knowledge and training in a specific field.
* A novice has only a bit of background in a particular field, and can’t really make judgements about much.
* Somewhere between the two is a whole range of expertise. Some folks think they know everything they need — are these your pseudo-experts? Others are aware they have a base of education and experience, but know they have much more to learn.

This sort of reminds me of George Leonard’s “Mastery” (a book you might enjoy, Jacob), in which he discusses the process of constant improvement.

I also find it interesting that the term “expert” seems to be most often bandied about by PR and media types. In my own work, I try to dis-own the term. I’m not an expert at personal finance, and I know it. But that doesn’t sell books. It doesn’t convey authority on radio and television. So, marketing people are always slapping the term “expert” into my bio. It drives me nuts! (Sometimes I can convince them to go with “accidental expert”, which at least conveys to careful readers/listeners that I have a non-traditional background.) Why this obsession with experts? Why can’t we just learn from average guys? You’re not an expert, Jacob (are you a pseudo-expert?), but I’ve learned more from your blog and book over the past two weeks than I have from any of the so-called expert advice I’ve read in that time.

Isn’t there a quote that goes something along the lines of “The more I know, the more I realise there is to learn”, or is it “The more answers I find, the more questions I realise there is to ask”?

Also have you heard of the Dunning Kruger effect?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

I think what you are talking about here is just a very similar effect but higher up the eduction/knowledge scale.

I always think of this when I hear someone at work spouting off about something and trying to make it sound like they know everything (pseudo-experts).