Naval War College professor Nichols at Saturday event

MIDDLETOWN, R. I. – Naval War College and Harvard Extension School professor Tom Nichols will discuss his new book, “The Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters,” during an appearance 2 p.m. Saturday at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, 1311 West Main Road.

The book explores Nichols’ thesis that in the Information Age, “misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Today, everyone knows everything: with only a quick trip through WebMD or Wikipedia, average citizens believe themselves to be on an equal intellectual footing with doctors and diplomats.”

In “The Death of Expertise,” from Oxford University Press, Nichols examines the factors behind the discrediting of those who once were revered as the learned keepers of knowledge.

“The increasingly democratic dissemination of information, rather than producing an educated public, has instead created an army of ill-informed and angry citizens who denounce intellectual achievement,” according to the publisher.

Nichols discussed his book during a recent appearance on the Story in the Public Square PBS TV/SiriusXM Satellite Radio show. Story in the Public Square is a partnership of The Providence Journal and the Pell Center at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I.

https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061851126-0