We can all know god-gifted people who are experts on everything without their having studied any subject. Where is the need for experience or education when self-chosen experts have the answers to hand?

The economy is always a good place to start for these walking-talking encyclopaedias. They know why Britain is broke and how it can be fixed. Needless to say, even a basic course in economics is unnecessary for their solution to Britain’s national debt.

Another discussion veered towards the revolution that toppled Imperial Russia in 1917 – 1922. The cause and solution were freely given as was the reason for the collapse of the USSR 69 years later.

If you miss the news on BBC or ITV your friend can recall the BBC’s spin on world events so he can put you right on Syria, Libya and of course Russia.  The refugee crisis; soaring crime, Brexit, he has the glib solution or he accepts it; the matter is then closed.

Anyone can be an expert simply by conforming and never questioning.  You’re not as clued up on World War II as you wish to be? The conformist has the answer because he watches The History Channel, which like media would never spin the narrative.

I recall a household-name politician being heckled at an outdoor meeting. Turning towards the loudmouth, the speaker on the rostrum called out, “You’re obviously well-informed and have clearly read and understood both volumes of Das Kapital by Karl Marx?”

The foolish chap retorted that indeed he had done so. His smug grin evaporated when to the evident enjoyment of the crowd he was informed that the boring tome was a one-volume book.

The sage is certain to have unswerving trust in corporate and state-managed media. This relieves him of the necessity of digging a little deeper, becoming better educated through self-education, of seeking an alternative take on history. It never seems to occur to him that all history is the propaganda of the victors.

The Achilles heel of the know-it-all is their swift departure from the topic of discussion if challenged by the better-informed. There will then be a superior flick of the wrist followed by the remark that the matter is closed.

The reason for this was ably explained by Friedrich Nietzsche: “People don’t want the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.”

This leaves us with the problem of a country run by the unscrupulous playing to an audience of half-wits. The consequences are self-evident in the dire state of the nation. The last nail in the coffin of a collapsing society is the conformist who refuses to recognise failure due to his fear of tackling it. You can share this story on social media: