How Poskim Come to Know Reality
All psak depends on the intersection of theoretical law and reality. As poskim are not trained as doctors, programmers, lawyers, businessmen, farmers, etc, they need to integrate information from outside experts, or develop personal expertise. As the world changes, this is even more complicated. The question of how poskim do this is of critical importance. For example, when faced with a simple question of whether one is sick enough to eat on Yom Kippur, does the posek consult his or her own doctors, or trust the patient to find a doctor, or assess the situation his or herself? What about political questions? Does the fact that both the laity and poskim can access information with AI and information technology change the equation? I draw on insights from Eric Topol and Martin Gurri as how this dynamic plays out in medicine and in general for insight.
