The Illusion of Mastery

I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.

-Socrates.

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On April 19th, 1995, a man named ‘MacArthur Wheeler' robbed a bank with his face glazed with lemon juice, believing the juice would hide his face. Why so? Because lemon juice works as invisible ink on a piece of paper. Police broadcasted the security camera footage on the local 11 o'clock news, and with a little prize money, Arthur was arrested.

Surprisingly, he said, ‘I wore the juice.' Bewildered by this reasoning, two psychologists, David Dunning and Justin Kruger, studied Mr. Wheeler and others like him. They came to the conclusion that people with low ability at a task paradoxically tend to overestimate themselves. This effect is known as “the Dunning-Kruger effect.'

(Reason for this pic: Player 456 from Squid Game resembles Dunning-kruger effect, overconfident at the beginning, confidence declines at the next stage, regaining confidence (Final knowledge yet to come): Picture taken from Netflix official Facebook page)

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As we learn something new, we often feel highly confident. With that little knowledge of ours, we think we know it all. Those who stop learning here maintain a false sense of mastery, while those who continue learning realize things are more complex and often lose motivation to proceed. The more their knowledge, the lower their confidence becomes. Many stop at this point, thinking they have learned nothing or what good is it?

When I was young, I knew all the answers. Now that I’m old, I’m not even sure what the right questions are.

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This transformation-from being purely confident to cautious curiosity-plays a pivotal role in genuine learning. Mr.Wheeler is the perfect example to illustrate how a spark of awareness can light the fire of humility.
Let's fast forward to the modern world: world of social media. We scroll through health influencers on TikTok or Instagram and we will often find 'so-called experts,' giving out medical advice with zero credentials. They are the epitomes of this effect in action:loud, confident and disastrously wrong. Their followers? Maybe, worse.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the countless self-proclaimed doctors shared bold claims on social media, contributing to widespread confusion. Similarly, Gym or fitness freaks share their routine in a 30 seconds clip consisting of half-baked truth, promoting diets, supplements and remedies as miracle. Worse are the some cancer cure influencers using tactics mostly fear based, risking patients foregoing essential care.

From Wheeler's lemon juice to today's viral misinformation, the thread is same. Genuine intelligence is not measured by the loudness of the words but by how deeply we question them and how courageousl we admit our mistakes/limitations. True growth does not come from the applause of certainty but from curiosity. There is a difference between a claim that sounds good in 30 seconds clip and one backed by facts and figures.

So, let go of the comfort and falling for the false mastery. Keep asking, keep doubting, and keep learning. Maybe, you won't find answers to every asked questions, but there is always a lesson, a wisdom.

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Thanks for sticking by!
Have a Good day!
PEACE🕊️