Brian Appleyard reviews what looks like it could be an important new book, The Wisdom of Crowds. He looks at why people consulted in numbers often get things more accurately than individual experts.
Appleyard argues:
“Representative democracy is a further acknowledgement that crowds may not be wise. We elect delegates whom we require to make detailed and specialised decisions. What we don’t do is demand referendums on everything, not just because that would be unwieldy, but also because public opinion is frequently misinformed and always fantastically capricious. An occasional election, however, is like an ox weight-guessing competition; it smooths out error and controls the delusions of experts”.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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