[MK Chris]

Ah fair enough. I'm not sure whether or not he has them, but in my books he is still a proper expert.

[Vivienne]

pffft. qualifications. We can all have those. I could be classed as an "expert" in Modern Languages. Even though I'm not. Leave the expert classifications to those deserving of the title.

[wurzel]

It's quite simple! check this: There are basically too many so-called "experts" in this country. Nowadays, everyone is an expert. An expert at saving money is unimpressive. We could all do this if we set our minds to it. Even you could manage it, tophs! A true expert is, for example, one involved heavily in curing a form of Cancer for example. Something truly worthwhile.

Exactly. If i was to go out tomorrow, and find a youth football team to coach/manage, who are languishing near the bottom of their league, and turn them into league winners at the end of the season, would that make me an expert at football coaching and management? Would it qualify me for the England job? No. Because there is the key word, qualify. People have to be qualified, experienced, world class and consistant to even hope to be considered an expert.

[Console]

So your actual argument is against the definition of the word, not against the person?

Not its against both.

If that's the case then perhaps you would give a reason as to why you don't think this man is an expert that doesn't relate to how many experts there are in the world.

There are basically too many so-called "experts" in this country.

Irrelevant.

Nowadays, everyone is an expert.

I'm very confident that I could name at least twenty people that aren't, and those are just the people I know.

An expert at saving money is unimpressive.

Also irrelevant.

We could all do this if we set our minds to it.

So?

A true expert is, for example, one involved heavily in curing a form of Cancer for example. Something truly worthwhile.

No, a 'true expert' is someone with a great deal of knowledge, or expertise, in one or many subjects. It has nothing to do with how many other people have that knowledge, or how impressive it is, or how worthwhile it is.

[Vivienne]

Hear hear!! Wurzel! We have the logic to see what is really happening out there nowadays.

[wurzel]

Hear hear!! Wurzel! We have the logic to see what is really happening out there nowadays.

Yep we certainly do. See, us Bristolians arent just all about Cider

[Console]

Out of curiosity, who would you class an an expert?

[Vivienne]

Out of boredom, replies (for the second time): someone who can really cure some worthwhile disease. Someone of worth in our Society. Not just anyone, and everyone.

[MK Chris]

someone who can really cure some worthwhile disease

Is there such a thing as a worthwhile disease?

Not 'anyone and everyone' is classed as an expert by any stretch of the imagination. As Console says, if you hold a great deal of knowledge on a particular subject, you can be classed as an expert on that subject, regardless of whether Viv and Wurzel consider it to be worthwhile knowing about. Alan Hansen could be considered an expert on football, regardless of whether or not most people think this is worthwhile. He's certainly made a lot of money out of being a football expert.

[Console]

Out of boredom, replies (for the second time): someone who can really cure some worthwhile disease. Someone of worth in our Society. Not just anyone, and everyone.

I was unclear, I was asking for names of people you would consider to be experts, not just your bastardised definition.

[Vivienne]

there's no need to swear at me... let's see, experts in life: Marie Curie, Einstein... there's a couple of worthwhile examples.

[Console]

I didn't swear. Ok, Marie Curie, such an expert that her own research killed her, and Albert Einstein - someone that tried to disprove his own theories. Do they really match your mythical definition of an expert?

[Yudster]

Out of boredom, replies (for the second time): someone who can really cure some worthwhile disease. Someone of worth in our Society. Not just anyone, and everyone.

But that isn't what an expert is. Its good, and wonderful and all that, and anyone who can do that probably would be an expert in their field - but they might not be expert in anything else. Expertise isn't confined to medicine or social work. Someone like Stephen Hawking can surely be legitimately classified as an expert in his field, but he is never going to cure cancer, or the common cold, or even necessarily be "of worth in our society" (whatever that means). But he is clearly still an expert.

[Vivienne]

My experts make more sense that anything you would come up with.

[wurzel]

someone who can really cure some worthwhile disease

Is there such a thing as a worthwhile disease?

Not 'anyone and everyone' is classed as an expert by any stretch of the imagination. As Console says, if you hold a great deal of knowledge on a particular subject, you can be classed as an expert on that subject, regardless of whether Viv and Wurzel consider it to be worthwhile knowing about. Alan Hansen could be considered an expert on football, regardless of whether or not most people think this is worthwhile. He's certainly made a lot of money out of being a football expert.

Alan Hansen is a football pundit.

[Yudster]

What's the definition of the word "pundit"?

Definitions -
pundit (noun)
1. A learned Hindu, a scholar, especially having knowledge of Sanskrit, philosophy, religion and law.
2. A scholar, teacher, or learned person.
3. A professed expert in a particular field, as called upon to provide comment or opinion in the media

Of those, I think Alan Hanson falls into the third definition.

[Console]

Why can't he be both?

[Boboff]

Console = Comic Book Man

1. Characteristics
# Yellow skin
# Brown hair worn in a pony-tail
# Fat and constantly eating
# Waddles when walking
# Highly sarcastic attitude
# Owns the Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop
# 45 years Old
# Virgin
# Lives with parents
# I.Q. of 170
# Has prescription pants


It's all close, except I know Console's not Fat

[Vivienne]

Ha ha!! class!!

[Chris]

I'm getting rather fed up of reading arguments where the world-at-large is arguing with someone who is obviously a complete idiot and who doesn't know when she's wrong (pretty much all the time).