Episode 126: The Decline and Fall of Expertise

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There’s a strong anti-intellectual vibe running through American politics and culture. It’s visible in MAGA’s ongoing assault against the administrative state, in the growing distrust of educational institutions, and in anti-vaccine sentiment—the last of which started as a left-wing movement before being coopted by the right. It’s so palpable today that it makes you wonder what the proper role of expertise in a democracy might be. Mark and Joe plumb the history of this tension, the spectrum of positions it produced, and how experts’ recent missteps fanned the flames of distrust in an already skeptical populace. (Recorded January 23, 2026.)