#expertise

#expertise

The German philosopher Martin Heidegger believed that human knowledge, at its most foundational and meaningful, is ineffable. Moreover, it requires stepping beyond what one sees as the established rules and into the realm of the unknown. Think of a master jazz musician or an elite athlete who, after facing an unpredictable moment, would find it impossible to convey precisely how and why they did what they did to deliver a peak performance.

The online encyclopedia now holds more than seven million articles and has become a standard guide for anyone seeking information. The Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization in San Francisco, California, runs the project with about 700 employees, but Wikipedia still relies entirely on unpaid volunteers to write and edit its articles: hundreds of thousands of people contribute to the site each month, under a set of community-developed rules to deal with disagreements, cut down self-promotion and generate consensus.

Aging is a complicated thing, and no two people age in the exact same way. You might encounter someone in their seventies who seems decades older; you might also take in a jazz performance by a centenarian saxophone player. A few weeks ago, I saw Willie Nelson, still crooning and playing the guitar at the age of 92. Not everyone has the same support infrastructure as a touring musician - but that doesn't mean there aren't applicable lessons to be learned here.

This column has previously cited or recommended books on security, risk and leadership. Having just submitted a book manuscript to a publisher that explores the confluence of those three topics, I discovered that I drew most inspiration for my approach and analysis from works that don't directly relate to any of these subjects. (I should note that I tapped this column for content that I updated or more fully developed in the book).

Research has linked intellectual humility with many desirable behaviors, including considering others' perspectives, being better at conflict resolution and being less dogmatic.

The meeting should be delayed until the panel is fully staffed with more robust and balanced representation—as required by law—involving those with relevant expertise.