--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indeed, willingness to challenge…" description: "\"Indeed, willingness to challenge professional economists and other experts is a foundation stone of democracy. If all we have to do is to listen to the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ha-joon-chang-3497_challenge_indeed-willingness-to-challenge-professi_158393.jpg" --- # Indeed, willingness to challenge professional economists… ![“Indeed, willingness to challenge professional economists and other experts is a foundation stone of democracy. If all we have to do is to listen to the experts, what is the point of having democracy?” quote by Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ha-joon-chang-3497_challenge_indeed-willingness-to-challenge-professi_158393.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ha-joon-chang-3497_challenge_indeed-willingness-to-challenge-professi_158393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/726/ha-joon-chang-3497_challenge_indeed-willingness-to-challenge-professi_158393.jpg) > “Indeed, willingness to challenge professional economists and other experts is a foundation stone of democracy. If all we have to do is to listen to the experts, what is the point of having democracy?” [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy requires citizens to question experts, not just obey them. **In simple terms:** Democracy thrives on critical thinking. Key Takeaway Engage, question, and participate. Themes democracy critical thinking expertise Mood thoughtful skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - voting - public debate - policy review - community meetings Key Concepts political theory civic engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can you verify expert claims? - What role should expertise play in decision‑making? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on expertise can stifle diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Economists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economists/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) ## Related quotes > [“Your dream is not a democracy, listen to your heart not the masses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/your-dream-is-not-a-democracy-listen-to-your-heart-not-the-masses/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [The only negative thing in Pakistan is not having a democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/the-only-negative-thing-in-pakistan-is-not-having-a-democracy/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [All deductions having been made, democracy has done less harm, and more good, than any other form of government. It gave to human existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/all-deductions-having-been-made-democracy-has-done-less-harm-and-more/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [Markets are, in the end, man-made devices for utilitarian purposes, not a force of nature that we should not try to resist. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/markets-are-in-the-end-man-made-devices-for-utilitarian-purposes-not/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [People tend to think that numbers are quite objective, but numbers in economics are not like this. Some economists say they're like sausages: you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/people-tend-to-think-that-numbers-are-quite-objective-but-numbers-in/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [I am one of the most successful economists, according to what markets tell us, though most of my professional colleagues, who are much keener…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/i-am-one-of-the-most-successful-economists-according-to-what-markets/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Free market economists frequently see minimum wage legislation as mere political intervention. However, there are decent economic theories which show that, under certain circumstances,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/free-market-economists-frequently-see-minimum-wage-legislation-as/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Contrary to what professional economists will typically tell you, economics is not a science. All economic theories have underlying political and ethical assumptions, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/contrary-to-what-professional-economists-will-typically-tell-you/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Unfortunately, a lot of economists wanted to make their subject a science. So the more what you do resembles physics or chemistry, the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/unfortunately-a-lot-of-economists-wanted-to-make-their-subject-a/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Very often, the judgments by ordinary citizens may be better than those by professional economists, being more rooted in reality and less narrowly focused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/very-often-the-judgments-by-ordinary-citizens-may-be-better-than/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [What free-market economists are not telling us is that the politics they want to get rid of are none other than those of democracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/what-free-market-economists-are-not-telling-us-is-that-the-politics/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [I am indeed a fan of John le Carre's novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/i-am-indeed-a-fan-of-john-le-carre-s-novels/) [Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/) > [Whether Earth was deliberately terraformed, in other words, or whether it was seeded with the spores of life from crashed comets or whether, indeed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-hancock/whether-earth-was-deliberately-terraformed-in-other-words-or-whether/) [Graham Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-hancock/) > [The cognitive skills that underpin resilience, then, seem like they can indeed be learned over time, creating resilience where there was none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-konnikova/the-cognitive-skills-that-underpin-resilience-then-seem-like-they-can/) [Maria Konnikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-konnikova/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) ## More by Ha-Joon Chang > [“In no country does the average income give the right picture of how people live but in a country with higher inequality it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/in-no-country-does-the-average-income-give-the-right-picture-of-how/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Sometimes people with strong ideology, whether left-wing or right-wing, refuse to do something simply because they believe it is wrong, when doing it actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/sometimes-people-with-strong-ideology-whether-left-wing-or-right-wing/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Every market has some rules and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. A market looks free only because we so unconditionally accept its underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/every-market-has-some-rules-and-boundaries-that-restrict-freedom-of/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [If we are really serious about preventing another crisis like the 2008 meltdown we should simply ban complex financial instruments, unless they can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/if-we-are-really-serious-about-preventing-another-crisis-like-the/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“Harry S. Truman, in his typical no-nonsense style, once said that ‘An expert is someone who doesn’t want to learn anything new, because then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/harry-s-truman-in-his-typical-no-nonsense-style-once-said-that-an/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Rational thinking is an important aspect of human nature, but we have imagination, we have ambition, we have irrational fear, we are swayed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/rational-thinking-is-an-important-aspect-of-human-nature-but-we-have/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [The history of capitalism has been so totally re-written that many people in the rich world do not perceive the historical double standards involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/the-history-of-capitalism-has-been-so-totally-re-written-that-many/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [Equality of opportunity is meaningless for those who do not have the capabilities to take advantage of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/equality-of-opportunity-is-meaningless-for-those-who-do-not-have-the/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [The higher education system in these countries (US, Korea etc) has become like a theatre in which some people decided to stand to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/the-higher-education-system-in-these-countries-us-korea-etc-has/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [What free-market economists are not telling us is that the politics they want to get rid of are none other than those of democracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/what-free-market-economists-are-not-telling-us-is-that-the-politics/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [ “Joseph Schumpeter emphasized that all analysis in economics is preceded by a pre-analytical cognitive act, called vision, in which the analyst ‘visualise\[s\] a distinct… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/joseph-schumpeter-emphasized-that-all-analysis-in-economics-is/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“All technical professionals have an incentive to make themselves look more complicated than they are so that they can justify the high fees their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/all-technical-professionals-have-an-incentive-to-make-themselves-look/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [I'm not an anti-capitalist, or anarchist. I want capitalism to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/i-m-not-an-anti-capitalist-or-anarchist-i-want-capitalism-to-work/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“all technical professions have an incentive to make themselves look more complicated than they really are so that they can justify the high fees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/all-technical-professions-have-an-incentive-to-make-themselves-look/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [As South Korea shows, active participation in international trade does not require free trade. Indeed, had South Korea pursued free trade and not promoted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/as-south-korea-shows-active-participation-in-international-trade-does/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) [Explore all 129 Ha-Joon Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) ## More Challenge quotes > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [After 'Pink,' I wanted to do something that would challenge me further as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirti-kulhari/after-pink-i-wanted-to-do-something-that-would-challenge-me-further/) [Kirti Kulhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirti-kulhari/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Our whole thing was that we wanted to challenge ourselves and go out of the box that everyone else was doing, and even what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-real/our-whole-thing-was-that-we-wanted-to-challenge-ourselves-and-go-out/) [B-Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-real/) > [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/) [Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/) > [I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/i-don-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-world-but-i-know-in-our-region/) [Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/) > [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [LMS is like PMS but totally different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lms-is-like-pms-but-totally-different/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do not underestimate the difficulty of the challenge that global climate change presents to us. 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