Again with the straw-man and the insults. The argument is not about the non-existence or non-trusting of experts but about whether whether people should be encouraged to do their own research and to think for themselves. Your own example uses the term 'informed decision'. What does 'informed decision' mean? How else do you make 'informed decisions' than by, well, getting informed? How do you get informed? By research. Even asking experts is part of the research and so is the part about asking for a second opinion. In the end, you need to make a decision about your cancer, and as you quaintly say to "choose between your choices" and that takes research and critical thinking.
Yes, I think my opinion and everyone else's opinion is so very important. Opinions are all we have, there is no certainty. That's why we, all of us, should keep learning and growing so that we can have better informed opinions and that takes research and research needs practice.
It seems to terrify you that other people should be allowed to think and doubt, yes, to even doubt the experts. On the other hand, you want me, to use your own words, 'to shut up and take your medicine' because 'no one cares what you think'. Your 'grown society' seems to mean people having the 'right to be stupid' but who 'shut up' and listen to the experts. I'm starting to suspect that perhaps you consider yourself to be such an expert. Perhaps a very, very insecure expert?
Aside from the banter, I think the situation is this. Societies, especially in the US but certainly in other places such as where I live, are in turmoil. People are afraid and looking for security. People are afraid and don't trust each other. People view other groups of people as mindless and stupid and that it would be better if they just 'shut up and (literally) take (their) medicine'. Today, I also think that many should (literally) take their medicine. But do you want to force them? Why are we in this situation today? Why aren't people listening to experts, even in the matter of medical advice?
One approach is to consider people as hopeless. That humans are hopelessly mired in their own human nature. Another is to consider the systems we live in as flawed. Do you blame water for flowing? No, you create pipes and ducts and reservoirs for it. Should you blame humans for their 'human nature'? No, you build better systems, free healthcare, generous retirements, free education and abolish excessive wealth. We live in 'sieve' societies and despair at people flowing past the advice of experts. What we need most to rebuild societies is to rebuild trust and connections. Trust people to do research even if they will sometimes make bad choices and end up hurting you or themselves. If you insist that people blindly listen to experts, you might not like the 'experts' that they decide to listen to. Do you think they will limit listening to experts only in medicine? You will end up with a dictatorship of the right or left (probably of the right from the look of things). The alternative starts by encouraging critical thinking and research. Let them do research!
