Expert

An expert is someone who is perceived by others to possess knowledge and/or technique in a specialized field of study or activity beyond that of the average person. Typically an expert has formal credentials or academic degrees and has avoided saying anything that is politically incorrect. Often experts rely on liberal influence inherent in university departments, government grants, and/or decisions by attorneys in retaining them for legal cases.

Court experts[edit]

Those with great skills and knowledge may be called upon to give testimony in a court of law to enable a judge and/or jury to determine the veracity of items of evidence.

The U.S. Supreme Court began to limit the use of expert testimony in trials in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Subsequent decisions have placed additional limits on the use of experts in trials, but they still exert enormous influence on juries.

Expert system[edit]

An expert system is a computer program that uses decision-trees to evaluate responses from an individual and give diagnosis or propose a plan of action.

See also[edit]

Specious reasoning

Appeal to authority