Have you ever watched a Youtube video or read an article online and suddenly thought you know a lot about the subject? And then proceed to try and "wow" your friends with your new-found expertise? Truth is that most of the time, you know very little about the said subject matter but you got over-confident. Which puts you right at the peak of Mount Stupid.
Though this may sound like humble-bragging, I do know quite a lot of various things. So much so that some people called me the walking encyclopaedia. I wish I could call myself a polymath but I don't think I actually qualify. All I know are but tips of the icebergs of various subject matters. Knowing that I don't know much about things made me realise that I'm closer to knowing nothing than to knowing everything. And this should put me in the valley of despair.
I know a little of philosophy, I know a little of Christian theology, I know a little of politics, I know a little of world history, I know a little of quantum mechanics, I know a little of psychology, etc. The list goes on and on about what I know a little of. This is because I'm curious about many things but I ain't got time to master everything. I guess the 'Jack' in my name does mean 'Jack of all trades but master of none'.
That noted, I constantly remind myself that what I know is not enough for me to claim that I am an expert. However, as I interact with many people over the years, I realise that they actually do the opposite, thinking that they know a lot when in fact they know very little. And they continued to think so because they managed to "wow" others with their knowledge and were lucky no one called them out. They have not met true experts in the field yet.
Dunning-Kruger Effect is a constant reminder for me to stay humble and hungry for more knowledge. I give the Dunning-Kruger Effect 4 stars.
#LateNightReview #0200