Affair Quote by Noam Chomsky
“Those who actually do have a valid claim to such special competence have a particular obligation to make very clear to the general public the limits of what is understood at any serious level; these limits are typically very narrow in matters of significance in human affairs.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview, 2000s
Experts must clearly state the limits of their knowledge to the public.
In simple terms: Experts should be transparent about what they know.
Key Takeaway
Communicate uncertainty openly.
Themes
responsibility
knowledge
public discourse
Mood
critical
informative
Type
educational
analytical
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- media interviews
- academic lectures
Key Concepts
epistemology
ethics
science communication
Questions to Reflect On
- How can the public assess expert claims?
- What are the risks of overstating certainty?
A Different Perspective
Complex issues may exceed experts' narrow expertise.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
