Robth wrote
Academic experts are uniquely qualified to judge the relative notability of subjects within their area of expertise. They are also, in general, probably not the people we would want to have judging the overall notability of their entire area of expertise. (I do not think I have ever known an academic whose estimation of his or her own field's importance was not substantially higher than the outside world's estimation of the same.)
Relevant quote from [[G. H. Hardy]], about a professor's duty to exaggerate his subject's importance, and his importance within it. (Professor here is aimed at a traditional 19thC model.)
Charles
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