“Fools are blind to their own foolishness”
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The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area.
We all know people who suffer from Dunning-Kruger and have watched them burn. They’re self-unaware braggarts with both feet firmly planted in mid-air — misplaced confidence on full display.
An irate colleague who didn’t get promoted. The neighbor who takes on the roofing project but eventually hire’s the pro. Heck, the entire twitter-verse in epidemiology, politics, and NFL defensive schemes.
We always use the label “Dunning-Kruger” pejoratively, usually accompanied by an eye roll or a knowing wink.
But hold the phone a sec. There’s an upside to it.
Dunning-Kruger describes a condition of unjustified confidence, but confidence, justified or unjustified, is a critical enabler allowing one to take on new things and forge new paths. Confidence allows one to overcome fear, develop resilience, and stay motivated to continue.
If we all sat around in our little protective shells, never reaching or expanding beyond what we correctly know or are good at, how would we make any progress (personal or collective)?
Sometimes it’s the self-unaware yet confident ones that crash and burn. Sometimes they’re the ones who move the entire universe forward.
