Weblogs establish over time the authority of their authors -- differently from orthodox credentials and perhaps more reliably. The problem is always: to know exactly the limits of someone's authority, and degrees, jobs, publications, don't help all that much. A PhD in philosophy can mean -- astonishingly different things. But when someone comments widely, one can find footholds: places where one knows enough to second guess the person. Also, one can pretty quickly detect ideological patterns, fanaticism, bugs of all sorts. And, perhaps most important, one has some measure of the basic sanity of the person -- his or her connection to family, friends, nature, emotion, babies, pets, and so on.
It is an intellectual revolution. Until recently, only columnists and major authors could develop the kind of public profile that now anyone can develop by just continuing to blog for a few months or years.
Posted by shea0017 at June 29, 2004 9:28 AM