Deep expertise in one academic field can tempt people to speak too confidently outside it. Respectful discussion can expose those limits and help researchers learn from one another. History and war studies sometimes require knowledge of other fields, including geology, because their effects can shape conflict. Knowing enough to consider those effects does not establish the expertise needed to teach the underlying discipline. Public claims should remain within the limits of the researcher's knowledge.
Notable Point · 4:57:12-5:00:36
War studies needs breadth without pretending to master every field
A methodological aside examines how deep specialist knowledge can encourage overconfidence outside the field in which it was earned.