The rise of amateurs/gifted thinkers has arguably underpinned every new development or advance.
The industrial revolution was created by the steam engine. Steam engines were invented by AMATEURS. We fly all around the world in armchair comfort. However the first recorded powered flight was created by a couple of bicycle makers and rank amateurs, the Wright brothers. [Who were always Wright, even when they were wrong.]
Bio mechanics is relatively new, and fifty years ago, wasn't any part of medicine or even taught as a university course. It was conceived by an engineer?
I could go on and on, but I think my point is already well made? Inasmuch as, it exposes the rank intellectual snobbery and untested unfounded intellectual concepts, that so predominates, we know best elitism/tertiary training and or, below par graduates?
Rhrosty.

Interesting points made in article and by Rhrosty..

The rise of the amateur professional has good and bad points. Doctors are more frequently challenged by patients who have gone to online diagnosis sites, as I understand it. This may give hypocondriacs more reason to feel sick, or correct major errors. I know of one case where an acquaintance found a different (conventional medical) treatmetn approach to his serious illness by going online.

However, experts are certainly not what they were, and as experts are just like everyone else in that they act in their own interests much of the time - and theri advice advice reflects that concern - that is a good thing..

Some similar themes in Burt Rutans TED talk on the future of spaceflight http://www.ted.com/talks/burt_rutan_sees_the_future_of_space.html

Also Massimo Banzi http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/massimo_banzi_how_arduino_is_open_sourcing_imagination.html

R0bert

Food for thought worth chomping on.