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Is The Dunning-Kruger Effect Driving A Mass Extinction Event
Right now we are grappling with unprecedented challenges, but our greatest threat may be our own cognitive blind spot. The Dunning-Kruger effect — where the incompetent overestimate their abilities — isn’t just a quirky psychological phenomenon. It’s a systemic crisis that could very well be our undoing.
We’ve managed to achieve a perverse feat: sidelining the very individuals most capable of steering us away from disaster while elevating those least equipped to handle complex problems. The true geniuses of our time — those blessed with an abundance of sensitivity and compassionate empathy, the multidimensional thinkers who can see beyond immediate gains — are being ignored in favor of those who mistake their limited understanding for mastery.
This isn’t just about individuals making poor decisions. We’ve institutionalized the Dunning-Kruger effect, creating systems that reward simplistic, two-dimensional thinking while dismissing the nuanced, holistic intelligence we desperately need. Our leaders, convinced of their own competence, are making decisions with far-reaching consequences based on a dangerously limited understanding of our interconnected world.
Case in point: penis-shaped rockets taking us to Mars is not going to save anyone. Four months on Mars will kill you. Yet we pour…
