Merchants of Doubt

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

There’s a structural reason the American economy runs on two layers. I want to walk through that structure, because it explains something important about how distrust of expertise gets manufactured—and what happens when it succeeds.

The first layer is built by experts. Engineers design bridges that hold. Oncologists develop chemotherapy protocols that extend life. Epidemiologists track disease vectors. Regulatory scientists test whether the food you eat will kill you. This layer is boring, credentialed, and accountable. It produces things that work.

Epistemology on Edward J. Edmonds

Merchants of Doubt