A god that failed: the cult of the expert

Michael Cook

December 10, 2024 5 Reactions

A case in point: Masha Gessen, the newest “opinion columnist” at the New York Times. Gessen used to be a “she” but has become a non-binary “they”, a fact which must have made her irresistible for the Times. Born in Russia, she is the author of an acclaimed biography, The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin.

The Times says that “There are few greater authorities on the planet on the rise of authoritarianism than Masha Gessen.” Not only that, “They’ve [ie, Gessen] also demonstrated over and over that this considerable expertise extends much further, whether to questions of civil rights, history, politics, philosophy, gender or the Middle East.” In short, Gessen is an omni-expertus. Which is not surprising – all of the Times columnists are.

But this planetary expert in authoritarianism, Russia, history, politics and the Middle East failed to predict Putin’s humiliation at the hands of the Syrian rebels. Strange, that.

As for her expertise on gender, it seems to be based on “lived experience” rather than swotting over books. At a writers’s festival in Sydney a few years ago she defended same-sex marriage with sentiments which may align with the New York Times view of the universe, but not with the hoi polloi:

“It’s a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist… [Cheers and laughter from audience.] Fighting for gay marriage generally involves lying about what we are going to do with marriage when we get there—because we lie that the institution of marriage is not going to change, and that is a lie.”

Which has not stopped her having three children, three same-sex spouses and two same-sex divorces.

Her latest column deals with oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, a case before the US Supreme Court which deals with a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. American medical experts back transgender treatment for minors, says Gessen; why is SCOTUS ignoring them?  Gessen, at the same time, is ignoring repudiation of this controversial model by Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.

“Rejection of genuine expertise is both a precondition and a function of autocracy,” Gessen writes. “Joseph Stalin’s regime outlawed genetics as ‘pseudoscience,’ while he himself was declared an expert in all fields, from linguistics to biology.” Very much like omni-expertus Gessen, No?

If the Supreme Court upholds the Tennessee law, Gessen warns, totalitarianism looms. Speaking with the Olympian gravitas appropriate for a New York Times expert in gender, she writes: “Quackery will continue its ascent; expert consensus, not only in medicine but in all the disciplines that enable us to know and navigate the world, will be marginalized.”

I think Masha Gessen is talking through their hat. Their views on gender are absurd. Their knowledge of the Middle East is no better than yours and mine. They failed to anticipate the biggest setback in years for Vladimir Putin, the topic on which they have built their reputation.

Masha Gessen is a talented writer. Let her be touted as a brilliant stylist, a non-binary provocateur, a Russian dissident, or a fascinating crackpot. But not as an expert. It’s deceptive advertising.

Experts brought us cane toads, zero population growth, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the Iraq war, Net Zero power shortages, lockdowns, and assembly lines for trans teens. Enough of the cult of the expert. 

Is this too cynical? Don’t experts have a role? 

Michael Cook is editor of Mercator.

Image credit: screenshot South China Morning Post / AFP