NYT-1201: STATE OF THE ART A Thermostat That's Clever, Not ...

apacity for applying it to concrete problems. In
reality, no one has theoretical expertise in more
than a few specialized subjects, and there is no s
trong correlation between having such knowledge an
d being able to use it to resolve complex social a
nd political problems. Even more important, our t
heoretical knowledge is often highly limited, so t
hat even the best available expert advice may be o
f little practical value. An experienced and info
rmed non-expert may well have a better sense of th
ese limits than experts strongly invested in their
disciplines. This analysis supports the traditio
nal American distrust of intellectuals: they are n
ot in general highly suited for political office.
But it does not support the anti-intellectualism t
hat tolerates or even applauds candidates who disd
ain or are incapable of serious engagement with in
tellectuals. Good politicians need not be intell
ectuals, but they should have intellectual lives.
Concretely, they should have an ability and inter
est in reading the sorts of articles that appear i
n, for example, Scientific American, The New York
Review of Books, and the science, culture and op-e
d sections of major national newspapers — as well
as the books discussed in such articles.
It’s often said that what our leaders need is comm
on sense, not fancy theories. But common-sense id
eas that work in individuals’ everyday lives are o
ften useless for dealing with complex problems of
society as a whole. For example, it’s common sens
e that government payments to the unemployed will
lead to more jobs because those receiving the paym
ents will spend the money, thereby increasing dema
nd, which will lead businesses to hire more worker
s. But it’s also common sense that if people are
paid for not working, they will have less incentiv
e to work, which will increase unemployment. The
trick is to find the amount of unemployment benefi
ts that will strike the most effective balance bet
ween stimulating demand and discouraging employmen