[PEN-L:28711] Re: Expertise

[Michael Perelman <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A book about Chinese health care, Away with all pests, describes how
cleaning people contributed to Chinese medicine in dialogue with the
doctors ...

On Sun, Jul 28, 2002 at 04:16:07PM +0000, Justin Schwartz wrote:
>
> Yoshie, you should get back to work.
>
> >>1) The straw men: Democray in this context does not mean that everybody
> >>votes on the details of "how you run your shop". It does mean (and
> >>Schweickart agrees) that everybody in your shop gets a vote. That is the
> >>in a hospital, not only doctors, but nurses, Xray techs, receptionists,
> >>floor sweepers, nutritionists, cooks all get an equal say in running the
> >>place - whether  via direct democracy, the election of a council, or the
> >>choice of a manager answerable to an elected council. And democracy also
> >>demands that priorities in terms of how capital is allocated also are set
> >>democratically.
>
> As you know I support worker self-management. I am not sure that that has to
> mean that the cleaning staff gets an equal say with regard to the way the
> surgeons do their work, that's the same problem as the problem of the demos
> that I mentioned. I assume that self-managed enterprises can work that sort
> of thing out in an appropriate manner.
>
> >>
> >>2) Secondly, for the most part expertise does not mean a right of decision
> >>making, but a right to advise. For example if I go to my doctor and she
> >>recommends an operation, she has no right to order me to have that
> >>operation, I can refuse, and if the doctor knows what she is doing suffer
> >>or die as a result. But the point is that choice is mine; the doctor's
> >>expertise gives her only a right to advise, not to order. As lawyer, you
> >>should be all to well aware that the same is true for lawyers.
>
> Depends. For doctorss and lawyers that is true. But I was not talking about
> the right of experts to make decisions, but to give their advice, and act on
> it if it accepted--that is, to to their jobs--without unhelpful intrusion by
> the ignorant. There are experts whose job it is to make decisions, not give
> advice, as well. Teachers come to mind as an instance, as well as all sorts
> of govt officials--judges are another. That's why we call them judghes and
> let the end their opinions with the words, Enter Order.
>
> jks
>
> jks
>
>
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--
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx