The Obama years were the closest thing we’ve had to technocracy. The President and his administration celebrated science and expertise, and they gave enormous regulatory powers to ‘the smartest people.’ During these years, the prevailing posture — culturally, politically, and within academia — suggested that the public was dim-witted and irrational, but well-meaning experts could fix things. As you know, that didn’t didn’t last. With Trump and Brexit came post-truth and a revolt against scientific and scholarly expertise.

How do we get out of this mess? Is the choice merely between centrist technocrats and reactionary post-truthers, or is there another way? This season, we investigate. Our stories will ask some simple questions: what is an expert, who do they work for, and can they be trusted? Episodes start April 15th, 2020, and they air weekly.

———-FOLLOW CITED———

To keep up with Cited, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Tweet at us, or email your feedback to [email protected]–we might just read it on the show.

———-CREDITS———-

This episode was produced Gordon Katic.

Our theme song and original music is by our composer, Mike Barber. Dakota Koop is our graphic designer. Our production manager is David Tobiasz, and executive producers are Gordon Katic and Sam Fenn.

Cited is produced out of the Centre of Ethics at the University of Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. Cited is also produced out of the Michael Smith Laboratories at the University of British Columbia — that’s on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.