ZD,
Thanks for your reply. However, it was and still is not a valid argument, because, as WIY said, a true gadol will not offer advice about something which he is not equipped to.
There are two aspects to attributing expertise to a gadol. One works on a very practical level. Through the intensive learning of Torah, Hashem’s wisdom, he becomes sharper, wiser, and his character refined to the point that his advice is unbiased, without personal motivation.
Also, because of the responsibility of his leadership position, he researches the issues that come up frequently, and often does become an expert.
There is another aspect, the supernatural. Call it ruach hakodesh, call it siyata dishmaya, but throughout history, and there’s evidence that it still exists today, Hashem has allowed gedolim to see beyond what we would expect through natural means. Chasidim tend to stress this aspect, “litvaks” tend to stress the first aspect, but there’s truth to both.
This does not mean that gedolim are infallible. It does mean, though, that you’ve got a good chance of getting a wise, informed, caring answer from a gadol, with some siyata dishmaya.
Examples of times that gedolim were “proven wrong” do not negate this fact, just as a doctor occasionally missing a diagnosis does not mean he’s a horrible doctor, or that a patient is better off self diagnosing.