"Linus Pauling was one of the world's greatest chemists. He won two Nobel Prizes and was a pioneer in both quantum chemistry and molecular biology. But in later years, Pauling started to talk about medicine. In his advocacy of "mega-vitamin" therapies, Pauling argued that mega-doses of vitamin C could treat diseases such as cancer and cure ailments like the common cold. There is no reputable evidence to support this. The medical establishment did and does dismiss these claims as utterly unfounded, unproven, and dangerous."
"Epistemic trespassing is when an expert in one field thinks that they are an expert in another. As Ballantyne put it: "Epistemic trespassers judge matters outside their field of expertise. They have competence or expertise to make good judgments in one field, but move to another field where they lack competence-and pass judgment nevertheless. We should doubt that trespassers are reliable judges in fields where they are outsiders.""
Epistemic trespassing occurs when an expert in one field judges matters outside their competence, treating their domain-specific authority as transferable. Highly accomplished individuals sometimes overreach, applying their mastery to unrelated areas and offering unreliable judgments. Examples include a tech billionaire asserting solutions to geopolitical crises or a brilliant physicist claiming authority on public health. Linus Pauling promoted mega-dose vitamin C therapies for cancer and colds despite lack of reputable evidence, and medical professionals regard those claims as unfounded, unproven, and potentially dangerous. Intellectual pride and confidence from past success can blind experts to the limits of their competence.
Read at Big Think
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