This phenomenon was brought to my attention today, but I'm certain someone here has heard of it before.
To wrap it up not-so-succinctly, it sort of explains why so many people who have no idea what they are doing are so often promoted into positions of authority (this came up while we were discussing Sarah Palin over pizza). A person who has little knowledge of something will over compensate for their lack of knowledge by acting as if they know everything there is to know about that something. On the flip side of this, the people who actually do know what they are doing/talking about will downplay their expertise, sometimes to an extreme ("Hey, you know what you're doing up there Mr Master Electrician?" "Nope. I just like the pretty colors. ").
Article on Boing Boing and the Wiki of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
My favorite bit from the Boing Boing article:
To wrap it up not-so-succinctly, it sort of explains why so many people who have no idea what they are doing are so often promoted into positions of authority (this came up while we were discussing Sarah Palin over pizza). A person who has little knowledge of something will over compensate for their lack of knowledge by acting as if they know everything there is to know about that something. On the flip side of this, the people who actually do know what they are doing/talking about will downplay their expertise, sometimes to an extreme ("Hey, you know what you're doing up there Mr Master Electrician?" "Nope. I just like the pretty colors. ").
Article on Boing Boing and the Wiki of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
My favorite bit from the Boing Boing article:
Charles Darwin once said, 'Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than knowledge,' and Dunning and Kruger seem to have proven this point. In light of this, it suddenly becomes clear why public debate can be so excruciating. Debates on climate change, the age of the Earth or intelligent design are perfect real-life examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect. It beautifully explains the utter confidence of those who, with no expertise, remain stubborn in their views regardless of overwhelming evidence. It makes you want to shake them by the collar and scream about how stupid they are. But evidence shows that's not the best strategy.
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