Expertise is Secondary
Jun 9, 1989
AKS/News Items = none
Summary = See Below
Diagrams =
Transcript = none
Summary
Jan Cox Talk 0504 – Jun 9, 1989 – 1:03
Notes by TK
To be an ordinary ‘expert’ requires an external data base, an extrinsic artifact based upon which the expertise depends and applies. E.g., religion has the bible; Wall Street, stock reports and analyses. The external base is comprised of and operated by words. E.g., a priest is not expected to be an expert on Christianity as such but on the words (talk) of Christianity; he is not a ‘hands-on’ operational agent. All ordinary expertise is Second Level; expertise not in the field per se, but in talk about the field.
Actually, the field of expertise doesn’t exist per se; only the talk about it does. How can this be? It is necessary. Consider the expertise you have about ‘you’; it is Second Level and a ‘you’ doesn’t exist. The Dialogue is mainly about ‘yourself’, about the body of knowledge comprising your life. The words, talk, is your existence: Second Level existence. It doesn’t matter that it has no Primary Level existence, as with man it is Second Level that is required of him by Life.
The friend of the Real Evolutionist are ‘implications’ rather than a great all-inclusive answer, i.e., look for cousins rather than the father. All old world information implies something else; it is partial.
Should ordinary people’s interests be based on Primary Level or Second Level activity? Does it matter? Second Level activity is really an extension of Primary Level. i.e., life sustaining activity. E.g., The Arts are really a necessity rather than an optional activity for modern life. Men still argue however that The Arts, although important, are not intrinsic to living life. The more sophisticated and intellectual the expert in old-world affairs, the more Second Level such interests are.
Thought for the weekend, and another unusable possible name for This Thing: “You should’a known!”.