@philosophyminis: Do you know how a toilet works? Do you know how a zip works? Or a bicycle? On the face of it, these things are obvious because we use them all of the time. And yet, in 2002, the psychologist Rozenblit and Keil noticed something strange. They asked participants to rate how well they thought they knew how something worked, and then they got to explain that thing step by step. And what they found was that people just ran out of words. They couldn't explain it. And it turns out that this happened all of the time, and it's known as the illusion of explanatory depth. We feel we understand the world in far more detail than we actually do. You've probably watched a toilet flush a thousand times. And so, you might think you can explain the mechanism, but when you sit down to actually try, you'll get lost somewhere around the float valve. But this isn't just about everyday technologies. This is about big things like immigration, taxation, vaccines, and war. We mistake a familiarity with an understanding. We've heard these words so often that we think we understand what's going on, but as a general rule, the less somebody actually knows, the more confident they are. But there is some good news to come out of this, because the researchers found that when people are asked to explain a contentious policy or idea in real detail, and not just argue for it, they became less sure of themselves. They became more moderate and more willing to accept alternative opinions and explanations. Nobody told them that they were wrong. They just heard themselves running up against the limits of their own knowledge. So, if you meet somebody with an incredibly strong and an incredibly certain opinion, you don't need to argue or debate them. You just need to ask them calmly to explain what they think is going on.

Crown Jester :

"The most perfect barrier to learning a thing is the belief that it is already known" - Frank Herbert (Dune)

Hanof :

Well jokes on him cause I grew up watching “how things worked” on tv 🙏

posessedgopnik :

"noone told them they were wrong, they simply heard themselves running up against the limit of their knowledge" wow

idek :

thoup :

A similar thing is applied when studying/learning! If you want to know how well you understand something, try explaining it to someone else

jeremyahamioje :

What’s a float valve

🦇 :

lwk got fixated and learned on how printers work this morning for the first time in my life

.jean.paul_marat :

jokes on you im a plumber and have assembled, unclogged and flushed(i had nandos not too long ago) a great many toilets

Clarence :

"The limits of your language are the limits of your thoughts"

user2633740932859 :

I just ask why is the sky blue?

Darkskinvelvet🤎 :

Somebody should explain what he said cos I don’t understand

Wok Wok :

The more you know, the more you realise how little you actually know.

Celestial dude :

I was just thinking about this effect like 2 mins ago, wth???🥸

Hassan Saleem :

there are known knowns, known unknowns and unknowns unknowns 😅

gustic :

metacognition is a rare trait after all...

Sparkles_Watson* :

Everyone goes into more depth about what interests them, why would I ask how often it rains in London, if it doesn't favor me, in fact, just thinking about the climate in London and I can already feel the rheumatism entering my bones!

Become Elite Academy :

quantum and astrophysics

Frankly Business Podcast :

This is sooooo true. 💯

˚✧ Hai ˚✧ :

Serio‍usly, if y‍ou hav‍en’t re‍ad T‍he Hid‍den Li‍fe Co‍de by Ma‍son Beck‍erman ye‍t, wh‍at a‍re y‍ou ev‍en doi‍ng? It‍’s a to‍tal ga‍me chan‍ger.

Nusse.1970 🇩🇰 :

We read the same newsletter 😂

Luis._.krt :

Jordan’s Acrylics :

as an autistic person, i have to know how most things work or i feel severely uncomfortable. this had made me realise i have so many more things i need to know 😭😂

Eliseba :

I learned that I literally know nothing once my kids started asking me questions that needed an explanation of how basic things work 😭

reddead :

i actually studied how a toilet works in the past, but i dont remember exactly haha and overall, id almost always say im not sure if its not something i studied or researched

Stella :

This comes ip in exams and tests you study for you thibk you understand till you get a question