Given Access To The Same Facts, How Is It Possible That There Can Be Disagreement Between Experts In A Discipline Case Study

“Given access to the same facts, how is it possible that there can be disagreement between experts in a discipline?”

Facts are knowledge that is believed to be true and accurate; facts can act as knowledge within their own right, as well as evidence for the development of new or improved knowledge. Experts are appointed across all fields; they can be regarded as the gatekeepers to knowledge of their respective discipline. Society allows these gatekeepers access to facts, with the expectation that they can convert them into accurate knowledge. Understandably, when describing something as “accurate knowledge”, there are circumstantial discrepancies to be considered across the Areas of Knowledge. Additionally, when entrusted experts disagree
Disagreement is formally defined as “lack of consensus or approval”. With this definition in mind, exposure is a plausible preliminary explanation for the occurrence of disagreement between experts. An expert, no matter how glorified, has their own personal background, and resulting bias the same as any other individual, as a result of what they have experienced and been exposed to.

The Natural Sciences are concerned with the material world; they are a field of knowledge that operates through an explicit, universal scientific method. The aim of the Natural sciences is to interpret the surrounding environment enabling predictions to develop; converting observations into theories. Theoretically, the knowledge produced in the field of the Natural Sciences does not change over time (Bastian, 2014). Given the very structured and absolute nature of this Area of
“The Arts” is a general term encompassing all artistic knowledge and activity; its boundaries are not strictly set but rather left open for debate. From this, it could be argued that the progression of art requires disagreement. Disagreement will often times provoke a response, which is regularly an aim of the production of art. Artists can strive to generate responses, good or bad, from individuals and communities. As an Area of Knowledge, The Arts are much less defined than the natural sciences, as well as being a much more intentionally individualistic discipline. Knowledge produced by this discipline follows no set universal method, but rather relies on the utilization of various methods. Art presents itself in many forms (performing, visual, and literary arts), and so too does knowledge of The Arts; one can have knowledge of The Arts from both practice and analysis. When engaging with art, a knower can take an objective or subjective approach, art critic Clive Bell once suggested that a viewer of art requires a certain sensitivity for the “value to be appreciated” (Bastian, 2014). This Area of Knowledge suggests guidelines whilst simultaneously promoting freedom of expression. Therefore the presence of disagreement is to be