The Dunning-Kruger Effect Explains Why Society Is So Screwed-Up

Those with the loudest voices often have the most confidence but little competence. For example, pundits on both sides of the political spectrum speak for hours about topics they know little about. It’s common to see the news cycle dominated by both liberal and conservative hosts expounding endlessly about science, economics, foreign policy, medicine, etc. 

What are the odds that they are experts in all of these, let alone one of them? Then where do they get such confidence? Yup, they suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect.

The more educated are quiet. Those in the Valley of Despair feel like frauds. For some reason, despite ample evidence to the contrary, some of those on their way towards mastering a subject feel like they aren’t really that educated, their recognition is due to luck, or they have tricked those around them. This is common with PhD students, as they experience high levels of depression, even though they know far more about their chosen field than the general population.

Perhaps the biggest threat to society is the growing antiscience movement, which is fueled by the Dunning-Kruger effect. Those on Mount Stupid have the biggest influence, often supporting antiscience candidates, intentionally or unintentionally spreading misinformation, or even helping to create antiscience legislation. Because of this, the public’s trust in science is alarmingly low.