As observed by Touchstone, the court jester from As You Like It:
The fool doth think he is wise, but
the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
Nobody Knew: simple observation can reveal someone who often knows very little about a topic but speaks as though highly competent.
For Example:
This artificial expert syndrome has a name: Dunning-Kruger effect. It is a cognitive bias where people with limited knowledge or competence in a specific area greatly overestimate their own skills. Discovered by psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger, it happens because unskilled individuals lack the very expertise needed to recognize their own mistakes.
Overestimating competence: People who know very little about a topic mistakenly believe they are highly competent. Because they do not know what they do not know, they suffer from an illusion of superiority. Complicated, global issues get reduced to simple choices, missing the subtilty and real difficulty of a situation:
| After failing to pass a replacement to the Affordable Care Act in 2017 we heard: “Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated.“ |
| A trade war was initiated in 2018 (by tweet) and we heard: “Trade wars are good, and easy to win.“ |
A person afflicted with this syndrome
should not be allowed to:
declare war, use the army against civilians,
treat immigrants like an enemy invasion,
or spend tax dollars like it’s his money.
When I read your examples of someone who thinks he’s wise, I instantly knew who the arrogant braggert (trying to be nice) was. Your copy might as well have been a recording. Your analysis is 100% right on, of course
Excuse me while I vomit.
No need to mention names. But it would be good to know where we are and how we got here.