By committee?_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

By committee?

The last time I heard it was a committee-or a series of committees-that invented the Internet. I read a lot about science and what really strikes me is that while we have Nobel Prize syndrome, nobody would ever win anything without the diligent work of thousands upon thousands of other scientists over centuries and centuries. But TIME magazine will tell us that there is one great scientist that rules them all.

The brilliant individual is not supposed to need data to make a decision. They don’t do research. They don’t take time to make decisions either. No, it’s gut instinct all the way down. Like a Western gun slinger, they decide first, ask questions later.

I’m not saying that we should do everything by committee. But we should be hugely skeptical of the individual macho cult. One of the hugely damaging imbalances in modern society is that ever-tinier elites are gathering more and more wealth and power. It will not end well.

I am optimistic. I see the slow emergence of a more rational, data-driven world where opinions are replaced by facts. Of course, there are dangers here too. It’s been said many times that there are “lies, damn lies, and statistics”. And then, of course, there are opinions.

The future is collaborative and consensual. When I see organizations with successful websites I see the organization as a whole collaborating; IT and marketing and service and support working together. Let’s raise a cheer for the committee. It’s cool to be consensual.