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Darwin on Overconfidence

Kevin M.Kevin M.
edited November 2007 in General
Darwin once said, “ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”

Can you explain in your own words what this quote is trying to say? This was a question asked in one of my humanities classes and it really got me thinking so I want to see what you guys have to say about it. Discuss!

Comments

  • toast
    edited August 2007
    ... this should be in the debate topic shouldn't it?
  • Simon604
    edited August 2007
    moved...great question btw

    I think Darwin is implying that less knowledgeable people believe that they are geniuses and that everyone else is stupid. More specifically, incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own level of skill, fail to recognize genuine skill in others, and even fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy - the ultimate form of ignorance. I think the lesson that can be implied from this quote is that self-perception and self-analysis are important and that the more knowledge you have, the more you see shades of gray. Therefore, the more you realize how complex the world is, and the less you see the world in terms of absolutes. There is probably a direct relation between ignorance and certitude: the less you know, the more convinced you are that you are right and everyone else is wrong.
  • hiddenhonger
    edited November 2007
    I've got this 'famous quote' on my facebook.. almost the same deal

    "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

    - Bertrand Russell

    Holds a lot of truth :thumbs_up:
  • NukeChem
    edited November 2007
    I think it was a Greek philosopher that said something along the lines of knowing that you know nothing is a lot different from just knowing nothing.

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