In response to the article, We are all Confident Idiots by David Dunning, I can understand what ignorance actually is. It's not that you don't know, it's that you think you know something about a topic, whether it is inaccurate or not. It's also the fact that people will not think they are ignorant or don't know because they put up this facade that they do know what they are talking about and having this boost in self-confidence. The article explains that people think the cure to ignorance is education but it's still not the case. I agree with that. School education only shows the students another bias based on the prospect of the teacher with very little to be true. It also causes the students to be blinded to other topics due to the curriculum.
I read, A Star in a Bottle by Raffi Khatchadourian, and enjoyed it. Within the first few sentences I was captivated. It started talking about a machine on earth that will use hydrogen to create heat hotter than the sun. This machine will supposedly end the worlds energy problems, and help save earth from an environmental catastrophe. Immediately after reading the first paragraph I thought, "Is this even possible? If so, how would this not kill everything on earth?" It all seems cool, and I'd like to believe in this machine but I cannot. It seems as if there's too many complications that may come about. I think this could either help the earth as they say it can, or destroy it.
I chose to read "We are all Confident Idiots" by David Dunning, which is about the human tendency to be affirmative about what someone knows even if the information is fictitious. Many people will claim to know about a specific incidence or term, but what makes these cases more interesting is that these people are confident in knowing something false. There has been a lot of research conducted in order to understand why the human mind perceives several news, intuitions, hunches, and attitudes as real. Often times, it is harder for a person to admit that they do not know something than to simply say they know a little bit. For example, people that claim they know how to handle finances are the same people that file bankruptcy. The error in this is that the most confident people deal with financial trouble despite going on and on about their knowledge of money. Incompetency is a natural concept that exists inside all of us. Therefore, placing yourself above these people because of their idiocy might reverse on you, because you are not aware of your own ignorance. As Dunning states, it may be "sorely attempting to think this doesn't apply to you." Dunning credits misinformation to perceptions instilled upon us as young children. A lot of people grow up believing something that is not entirely true, and have a hard time understanding that there is a fault in that. Many would keep and defend this ignorant knowledge rather than admit they are wrong or confused in their judgement. Another example of the spreading of misinformation is in the education system. A lot of people believe that the "natural antidote" to ignorance is education, but even schools can mislead people into believing information that is partly true. This is evident in how several biology classes teaches the concept of evolution differently. The most striking method to receive misinformation comes from social media and news sources, and people need to be more aware of being told false things. Dunning stresses the importance of conducting your own research, but often times people are content with only reading one source. Overall, the subject of incompetency is an interesting subject that exists within every mind and develops in all aspects of life whether that is socially, economically, etc. I enjoyed reading this thoroughly developed essay and appreciate the research being done to the topic. It taught me a lot about how humans function when it comes to misconceptions and where they come from.
The article, "The Naked Face" by Malcolm Gladwell, posted in the New Yorker was an excellent read that exposed readers to the psychology and science behind facial expressions. There are chemical signals and body language that determine a person's intentions. It also signals the other person to proceed with caution of potential dangers, and if that person is not a threat at all. Human nature allows us to communicate using the ideas and techniques mentioned in this work without using words, but human behavior, body language, and facial expression.
I really liked "Attitude" by Margaret Atwood. Her speech is given at the University of Toronto to the graduating class of 1983. Throughout the speech she maintains an informal and comedic tone through the use of jokes, self-deprecation, and comedic reflection. She discusses her experience after college, what she expects the graduates experience will be, the writing process for her speech, and her profound idea that “You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude towards it, and this, paradoxically, alters reality.”
I read the article, "The Biology of Attraction" by Helen E. Fisher. It is posted in Psychology Today. In the article it explained how men and woman flirt. It talks about love and how we have similar characteristics that relate to animals. In the article she uses references that would be more so used when describing animals love and mating rather than a human. She connects love and attraction to how animals are with each other.
I read "Masters of Love" by Emily Esfahani Smith. Published in The Atlantic, the article talks about how couples last the duration of time they do. I enjoyed the take on how to keep a positive and healthy relationship. I ended up thinking to myself about if I did any of the positives or negatives listed in the article.
I read "Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay and it made me sort of sad that some people think feminism is woman thinking they are superior to men. Most men and a few women think feminism is the belief that woman are better than men, when in reality all we want is to be equal. Feminism is not things like 'snow men are gender neutral' or 'all men deserve to die' feminism is things like 'stop catcalling me on the street' 'stop raping us (men and women)' 'stop fat shaming' and it makes me sad that some people really listen to the 'bad feminists' who are the ones who believe all men should vanish, and use that as an example of what feminism really is.
I read "How Headphones Changed the World" by Derek Thompson and I thought it was really interesting and different. The concept of making music private through headphones is something that all people can relate to. Many people use headphones and there has been a recurring argument that people who use headphones, particularly while working, are distracted and unfocused. An argument in favor of headphones, expressing the positive effects of headphones and how it creates privacy and separation is an interesting perspective.
In response to the article, We are all Confident Idiots by David Dunning, I can understand what ignorance actually is. It's not that you don't know, it's that you think you know something about a topic, whether it is inaccurate or not. It's also the fact that people will not think they are ignorant or don't know because they put up this facade that they do know what they are talking about and having this boost in self-confidence. The article explains that people think the cure to ignorance is education but it's still not the case. I agree with that. School education only shows the students another bias based on the prospect of the teacher with very little to be true. It also causes the students to be blinded to other topics due to the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI read, A Star in a Bottle by Raffi Khatchadourian, and enjoyed it. Within the first few sentences I was captivated. It started talking about a machine on earth that will use hydrogen to create heat hotter than the sun. This machine will supposedly end the worlds energy problems, and help save earth from an environmental catastrophe. Immediately after reading the first paragraph I thought, "Is this even possible? If so, how would this not kill everything on earth?" It all seems cool, and I'd like to believe in this machine but I cannot. It seems as if there's too many complications that may come about. I think this could either help the earth as they say it can, or destroy it.
ReplyDeleteGood article and response!
DeleteI chose to read "We are all Confident Idiots" by David Dunning, which is about the human tendency to be affirmative about what someone knows even if the information is fictitious. Many people will claim to know about a specific incidence or term, but what makes these cases more interesting is that these people are confident in knowing something false. There has been a lot of research conducted in order to understand why the human mind perceives several news, intuitions, hunches, and attitudes as real. Often times, it is harder for a person to admit that they do not know something than to simply say they know a little bit. For example, people that claim they know how to handle finances are the same people that file bankruptcy. The error in this is that the most confident people deal with financial trouble despite going on and on about their knowledge of money. Incompetency is a natural concept that exists inside all of us. Therefore, placing yourself above these people because of their idiocy might reverse on you, because you are not aware of your own ignorance. As Dunning states, it may be "sorely attempting to think this doesn't apply to you." Dunning credits misinformation to perceptions instilled upon us as young children. A lot of people grow up believing something that is not entirely true, and have a hard time understanding that there is a fault in that. Many would keep and defend this ignorant knowledge rather than admit they are wrong or confused in their judgement. Another example of the spreading of misinformation is in the education system. A lot of people believe that the "natural antidote" to ignorance is education, but even schools can mislead people into believing information that is partly true. This is evident in how several biology classes teaches the concept of evolution differently. The most striking method to receive misinformation comes from social media and news sources, and people need to be more aware of being told false things. Dunning stresses the importance of conducting your own research, but often times people are content with only reading one source. Overall, the subject of incompetency is an interesting subject that exists within every mind and develops in all aspects of life whether that is socially, economically, etc. I enjoyed reading this thoroughly developed essay and appreciate the research being done to the topic. It taught me a lot about how humans function when it comes to misconceptions and where they come from.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding response!
DeleteThe article, "The Naked Face" by Malcolm Gladwell, posted in the New Yorker was an excellent read that exposed readers to the psychology and science behind facial expressions. There are chemical signals and body language that determine a person's intentions. It also signals the other person to proceed with caution of potential dangers, and if that person is not a threat at all. Human nature allows us to communicate using the ideas and techniques mentioned in this work without using words, but human behavior, body language, and facial expression.
ReplyDeleteI really liked "Attitude" by Margaret Atwood. Her speech is given at the University of Toronto to the graduating class of 1983. Throughout the speech she maintains an informal and comedic tone through the use of jokes, self-deprecation, and comedic reflection. She discusses her experience after college, what she expects the graduates experience will be, the writing process for her speech, and her profound idea that “You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude towards it, and this, paradoxically, alters reality.”
ReplyDeleteI read the article, "The Biology of Attraction" by Helen E. Fisher. It is posted in Psychology Today. In the article it explained how men and woman flirt. It talks about love and how we have similar characteristics that relate to animals. In the article she uses references that would be more so used when describing animals love and mating rather than a human. She connects love and attraction to how animals are with each other.
ReplyDeleteI read "Masters of Love" by Emily Esfahani Smith. Published in The Atlantic, the article talks about how couples last the duration of time they do. I enjoyed the take on how to keep a positive and healthy relationship. I ended up thinking to myself about if I did any of the positives or negatives listed in the article.
ReplyDeleteI read "Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay and it made me sort of sad that some people think feminism is woman thinking they are superior to men. Most men and a few women think feminism is the belief that woman are better than men, when in reality all we want is to be equal. Feminism is not things like 'snow men are gender neutral' or 'all men deserve to die' feminism is things like 'stop catcalling me on the street' 'stop raping us (men and women)' 'stop fat shaming' and it makes me sad that some people really listen to the 'bad feminists' who are the ones who believe all men should vanish, and use that as an example of what feminism really is.
ReplyDeleteI read "How Headphones Changed the World" by Derek Thompson and I thought it was really interesting and different. The concept of making music private through headphones is something that all people can relate to. Many people use headphones and there has been a recurring argument that people who use headphones, particularly while working, are distracted and unfocused. An argument in favor of headphones, expressing the positive effects of headphones and how it creates privacy and separation is an interesting perspective.
ReplyDelete