“There are no experts on the paranormal” is a common sentiment among those involved in paranormal research, most notably among prominent names in the ghost hunter segment of the field. Interestingly, I personally have yet to hear the same statement from anyone in the UFO field. This expression seems to make sense and sounds so good. But does it really hold water?

Do “Experts” Know Everything?
According to the dictionary, the word “expert” is defined as “a person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject.”(1) Notice that the definition does not say “someone who knows everything about a certain subject.” It is clear from this definition that a person would simply need to have a “high degree of skill or knowledge of a certain subject” to be considered an “expert.”

Compare two fields of scientific study: gravity and string theory. If...