I am not as think as you dumb I am
The Dunning-Kruger effect…
The dumb get confident, while the intelligent get doubtful. That’s the conclusion that David Dunning and Justin Kruger came to when studying people’s perceptions of their own talents. What has now become known as the Dunning-Kruger effect…
Full discussion on The Science Show. Abbreviated version posted by Boing Boing.
Incidentally, this was observed centuries before the release of the research paper:
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.
– ConfuciusIgnorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.
– Charles DarwinThe trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the
intelligent are full of doubt.
– Bertrand Russell
Related argument by Brian Dunning on Skeptoid (no relation to David Dunning) saying that people are not dumb or “stupid”, just misinformed:
The same goes for Sarah Palin, Ben Stein, Ken Ham, Bill Maher, Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey, and Prince Charles, all people who actively promote bad science or misinformation, and who believe they’re doing the right thing.
I like his list of misinformed personalities. Check out the full piece on Skeptoid.
And the people replied…