Is it experts or "experts"?

I think questioning experts is a great thing for anybody to do. Without it, science would make no progress.An expert shouldn't be trusted because he or she is an expert. They should be trusted based on the soundness of their arguments.

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But if one is skeptical of an expert's conclusions, shouldn't one reserve judgements upon the validity of the arguments if one doesn't have the expertise to evaluate the arguments?

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Without a doubt. If one can't understand an argument they should not make any judgements about its soundness.I'm just saying that a distrust for experts isn't necessarily a bad thing, though one doesn't have the right to dismiss arguments because of their distrust.

I don't necessarily disagree with what you are saying. When I read about quantum physics I realize I don't have the education to really understand what the experts are saying to the degree that the experts do. In those cases, I form my opinion about which school of thought is correct in a particular disagreement, and if I was placing bets I'd probably go with the view that the majority of experts hold.But, if one doesn't understand the arguments I don't think they have a right to defend one position over another based on how many experts favor this or that position. That seems too close, if not exactly, to the infamous "argument from authority" which I think should never be introduced in a debate.

Is this really true?