This Is Now: Tom Nichols

This event will take place exclusively on Zoom. There will be no in-store presentation.

Thought-provoking, funny, and iconoclastic bestselling author Tom Nichols returns for another must-watch dialogue with Angie Coiro. Past exchanges between Nichols and Coiro have been marked by laughter and tough questions back and forth about the very nature of government in our modern age. Join us for more of that mutually challenging and delightful discussion—this time, revisiting Nichols’ The Death of Expertise in the wake of the Trump era and COVID.

Tom Nichols first published The Death of Expertise in 2017, highlighting the growing trend of of average citizens believing themselves to be on an equal intellectual footing with doctors and diplomats. With the rise of internet sites like WebMD and Wikipedia, Nichols argued, all voices, even the most ridiculous, demanded to be taken with equal seriousness. Any claim to the contrary was dismissed as undemocratic elitism.

Seven years on, Nichols revisits his argument in The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters, Second Edition. This updated edition refines its original premises in light of technological advancements and shifting societal dynamics, and adds a critical analysis of how the COVID pandemic further challenged public trust in expertise.

About the Author

Tom Nichols is Professor Emeritus at the US Naval War College, a staff writer at The Atlantic, and the author of numerous books, including Our Own Worst Enemy. He has spoken at Kepler’s multiple times, most recently in 2021.