I'd say that my Substack and Podcasts are reflections of the inspiration that I get reading other people and watching other people talk about the things that they are interested in. For example, I just finished reading Michael Lewis' The Big Short and watching the movie of the same name. It is about the recession of the late 2000s. In the book, he quotes, Leo Tolstoy. "The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him. " The movie begins with a quote by Mark Twain, "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." This inspires me because it confirms what I always see which are the discontinuities and misunderstood patterns of thought and behavior that are treated as sacrosanct. This is what inspires me.
The Dunning-Kruger effect needs to be paired with the Peter Principle. People rise to the level of incompetence in organizations. This is why I am more interested in what people accomplish than what they know. D-K is a measure of "cognitive" bias, of how one thinks rather than how one does. This is why so many of our society's conflicts are about information, the perception of truth, and the correct narrative, rather than the performance of a person or a group. If being an expert is now a position of low prestige, the place to begin to understand why is with one's own performance as an expert.
Yes, I see an erosion of confidence in expertise, just as there has been in institutions. There are many reasons.
One is that expertise has become increasing narrow and insular.
Second is that I believe we subconsciously disbelieve what we hear from them because it so often does not match with what we see in real life. They evoke confidence while at the same time the world is in crisis. My question is whether they are responsible for creating the problem or responsible for solving it. Either way, if the problem isn't solved, and only gets worse, it means that their expertise is either corrupted or missing.
Third is that expertise has become increasingly about status, rather than accomplishment.
Fourth is that we are being asked to trust people that we do not know directly. They operate in a media culture that I call the Spectacle of the Real - https://edbrenegar.substack.com/p/the-spectacle-of-the-real. Just having a degree and connections in the media doesn't mean they are an expert.
Fifth, I trust my neighbor who has no higher education experience more than I do most of these experts. I listen to his advice with the same measure of skepticism as I do a celebrity expert. My neighbor has skin in the game. The expert only has an opinion that is quickly forgot as soon as it is heard.
Sign: “DO NOT SEIZE THE DAY! This will startle the day and may cause it to become aggressive and bite. Instead, approach the day calmly. Do not make eye contact. Pet it gently, then fold it in a careful embrace. If the day shows any signs of resistance, it is likely to turn on you. Back off and return to bed.” 😁
Did Wislawa write the Forward for your upcoming book? 🙂
There seems to be an excellent fit!
Hmmm… I had not considered this quote for the book. I will now! Thanks Gary!
To me the quote touched on many points you live by.
Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know’.
~Wislawa Szymborską
The transformational comedian, Kyle Cease, has a phrase I absolutely love, and that phrase is, “I don’t know and I love that.”
“I don’t know and I love that.”
~Kyle Cease
https://www.eomega.org/article/what-happens-when-you-mix-comedy-transformation
“The truth is, when I’m happy , things will happen.”
Thanks for the article. Gold!
I like her quote.
Me too!
Does her quote resonate with your experience with your Substack posts and podcast?
I'd say that my Substack and Podcasts are reflections of the inspiration that I get reading other people and watching other people talk about the things that they are interested in. For example, I just finished reading Michael Lewis' The Big Short and watching the movie of the same name. It is about the recession of the late 2000s. In the book, he quotes, Leo Tolstoy. "The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him. " The movie begins with a quote by Mark Twain, "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." This inspires me because it confirms what I always see which are the discontinuities and misunderstood patterns of thought and behavior that are treated as sacrosanct. This is what inspires me.
Thank you for sharing Ed! I recall reading about the Dunning-Kruger effect in The Rise by Sarah Lewis.
And recently I read a chapter about Beginner’s Mind in Dharma Road by Brian Haycock.
I love when vastly different resources point to a universal truth.
The Dunning-Kruger effect needs to be paired with the Peter Principle. People rise to the level of incompetence in organizations. This is why I am more interested in what people accomplish than what they know. D-K is a measure of "cognitive" bias, of how one thinks rather than how one does. This is why so many of our society's conflicts are about information, the perception of truth, and the correct narrative, rather than the performance of a person or a group. If being an expert is now a position of low prestige, the place to begin to understand why is with one's own performance as an expert.
I had to read this twice... and look up the Peter principle. 😂 I do believe I now understand what you are communicating. Whew!
Cross-check: Are you saying that expert status has lost prestige because so often... expertise leads us in un-helpful directions?
Do you read Tom Foster's blog?
No, I don't know Tom Foster's blog. Who is he? And what does he write about?
Yes, I see an erosion of confidence in expertise, just as there has been in institutions. There are many reasons.
One is that expertise has become increasing narrow and insular.
Second is that I believe we subconsciously disbelieve what we hear from them because it so often does not match with what we see in real life. They evoke confidence while at the same time the world is in crisis. My question is whether they are responsible for creating the problem or responsible for solving it. Either way, if the problem isn't solved, and only gets worse, it means that their expertise is either corrupted or missing.
Third is that expertise has become increasingly about status, rather than accomplishment.
Fourth is that we are being asked to trust people that we do not know directly. They operate in a media culture that I call the Spectacle of the Real - https://edbrenegar.substack.com/p/the-spectacle-of-the-real. Just having a degree and connections in the media doesn't mean they are an expert.
Fifth, I trust my neighbor who has no higher education experience more than I do most of these experts. I listen to his advice with the same measure of skepticism as I do a celebrity expert. My neighbor has skin in the game. The expert only has an opinion that is quickly forgot as soon as it is heard.
I hope this clarifies what I was trying to say.
Sign: “DO NOT SEIZE THE DAY! This will startle the day and may cause it to become aggressive and bite. Instead, approach the day calmly. Do not make eye contact. Pet it gently, then fold it in a careful embrace. If the day shows any signs of resistance, it is likely to turn on you. Back off and return to bed.” 😁
Not sure if that ties into patience or not... 🤔
I think the sign ties beautifully with today’s letter.
Calliope is a big fan of the sentiment. It’s Tal and Nia that see things life a little differently.
Never a dull moment inside of Gail. 😂