Doctor,
Maybe you can help us out here. In your professional opinion, what classifies one as an expert in any field?
For instance, in the realm of medicine, you have a wide variety of medical doctors that each practice their own discipline of medicine (Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Pulmonology, Internal Medicine etc.). In the Internal Medicine discipline, you have millions of medical doctors that practice internal medicine, but not all are experts. Even within Internal Medicine, you have those that have risen above the rest to be deemed as "experts". Master Diagnosticians come to mind as experts, the type that Internists resort to when they can't come up with a proper diagnosis, even after beating themselves up over a slew of differential diagnoses. Likewise, when a general surgeon opens up a patient and finds out that they have a major problem in their thoracic cavity that is far beyond their expertise, they will typically refer that patient over to a Cardiothoracic surgeon for their own expertise.
Help us out Doctor, because I think the term "expert" is being passed around way too loosely here...
"1"
Well, I suppose 'expert,' is a general, relative term, and, as you say, around which too much has loosely passed. I think it suffice to say that Vince is no expert, but an interested, albeit well-read, layman.