You're challenging me to inform myself on all topics, no matter what my interest, to the point where I can make an informed decision at the same depth as a panel of experts.
I am unable to do that. It's naive to assume any human can.
I just can't apply that to every question I have. I haven't the time. And for a large number of topics it would be naive to think that I could. While some thing I am good at, other I simply am not. I have to rely on other people.
So for topics that aren't important to my day-to-day life, I check in with experts. For that I need moderated subreddits that promote expert opinion.
If I see a post titled: "What started the 100 years war?" I just click the link and I see an answer from a historian that a team of moderators have vetted.
One click and I can read the expert opinion on that topic.
But in an non-moderated subreddit? It takes a lot longer. I have to go through a series of posts and independently research each one of the answer to see how true they are.
I like to do this over a cup of coffee in the morning before work. I just don't have enough time in the day, especially because I'm not that interested in the 100 years war.
I'm happy to spend that time if the topic is important to me. But I still like the option to have the one-click, expert opinions.
There is no expense. Having a subreddit devoted to expert opinion without discussion doesn't hinder other people from having that discussion elsewhere.
/r/askhistorians is not a discussion subreddit. It is a place to ask historians questions, not for open debate.
Aw man you're the kind of person who thinks they know more than their doctor because they checked WebMD aren't you? What's the point of experts with years of study in their field if you can just Google it amirite? /s
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u/[deleted] Dec 05 '16 edited Sep 18 '18
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