The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing Socrates
When we believe we are an expert at something/are highly knowledgeable about something but when we’re asked to recall that, we struggle with it and are unable to remember any interesting fact
I’ve experienced this way too many times throughout my life. I always read textbooks, presentation slides, and notes during college and while it gave an illusion of knowing it all, I actually didn’t absorb the information and brew it into something useful in my mind. Even today, I struggle with that.
This happens because we follow passive re-reading, which inhibits our understanding of the topic. I think it’s like just skimming text and reading books word-by-word without evaluating what’s written. It’s purely engagement of the senses, which isn’t enough to actively learn
Re-reading is the crux of the illusion of knowing. We think we know the subject well and reading the material again reinforces that belief. However, studies have shown that it’s ineffective. Wait a second, I thought re-reading the material was good? Repetition of the material boosts learning and memory, right? Well, yes, but that’s not the complete picture
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a well-known psychological phenomenon that we’re all subject to. The illusion of knowing is akin to hitting the “peak of Mt. Stupid” — That’s the stage where you believe you’re an expert on a subject and have read through volumes of scholarly text but in actuality, you know naught. Maybe a superficial and basic understanding at best
It’s also crazy to think that the presence of the internet itself feeds our illusion of knowledge. It’s increasing these days too. With a vast trove of resources like blogs, free e-books, articles, MOOCs, and social media, there’s a voluminous amount of information available at our beck and call. One click (or two) and you find everything you need! Unfortunately, this stokes the flames of overconfidence that we already have because we don’t really try to imbibe the information. Why? Hey, if all the stuff is freely available in a single click, there’s no need to memorize and understand that, right? I can simply pull up that part of the internet and slap it on people’s faces
Also, merely watching or reading something passively can instil a substantial amount of overconfidence in ourselves. The list never ends, does it?
Solutions and Tools
- Test yourself regularly and don’t half-ass it. At random moments, just try to vocalize your understanding of a random topic that eithers pops up in your head or pops up as a random note in your digital garden vault (say). Either that, or write it down, or explain it to someone and gather feedback. Thorough and sporadic testing of your own knowledge helps seal any knowledge gaps, improves your understanding of the subject, and keeps it burned into your long-term memory
- Be self-aware. Practice Metacognition. Practice self-awareness. Know that you are prone to falling for the illusion of knowledge. The moment you’re aware that you’re scratching the tip of the iceberg and that there’s more to learn, you’re well on your way to opening new paths to learning. This will also prime you to be more open to criticism and counter-perspectives
External Links
- Korsakas, D. (2021, November 13). What are illusions of knowing? And how to avoid them? Learning Rabbit Hole. https://learningrabbithole.com/what-are-illusions-of-knowing-and-how-to-avoid-them/
- Robson, D. (2022, August 15). The “illusion of knowledge” that makes people overconfident. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220812-the-illusion-of-knowledge-that-makes-people-overconfident
- Rozenblit, L., & Keil, F. (2002). The misunderstood limits of folk science: an illusion of explanatory depth. Cognitive Science, 26(5), 521–562. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog2605_1
- Fisher, M., Goddu, M. K., & Keil, F. C. (2015). Searching for explanations: How the Internet inflates estimates of internal knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144(3), 674–687. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000070
- Kardas, M., & O’Brien, E. (2018). Easier Seen Than Done: Merely Watching Others Perform Can Foster an Illusion of Skill Acquisition. Psychological Science, 29(4), 521–536. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617740646