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>> The short answer is her Jobs-like "reality distortion field" -- she was exceedingly good at convincing non-scientists that their science worked. This confus

>> The short answer is her Jobs-like "reality distortion field" -- she was exceedingly good at convincing non-scientists that their science worked. This confuses a lot of people (not saying you are one of them), but this is really common in intelligent non-experts. People vastly overestimate how intelligent they are when they place value on their intelligence; in other words, they like thinking they are smart. When they prize their own intelligence, they have false confidence about areas they have zero expertise in, purely because they feel they can figure it out. So all it takes is someone with sociopathic tendencies and who has extreme confidence with a good CV, and bam, they're willing to go to the mat for that person. Holmes is one example but certainly not the only one.

gwicks56 8y ago
That's why, when you read the memoirs of conmen, they always say educated, intelligent people are the easiest to rip off.
- grigjd3 8y ago
  Funny, the PhD taught me to keep what I say fairly limited. On the other hand, I find generalists will say all kinds of crap that "sounds true" but they have at best a weak theory and a couple of anecdotes.
  - learc83 8y ago
    You seem to be making an argument for a weak theory with a couple of anecdotes.
    - xcccccc 8y ago
      I think by "generalists" he means "people who can talk seemingly brilliantly about a wide range of issues" rather than non-PhDs. I would agree with his statement then. I have never met a brilliant talker who could actually do anything. Many top mathematicians appear clumsy in presentations to the uneducated listener. It is a great tragedy that fluent talking (these days aided by teleprompter) passes for intelligence.
    - zero_intp 8y ago
      Op is replying to anecdotes with anecdotes.
    - grigjd3 8y ago
      There is something kind of meta there, isn't there? ;)
- bdowling 8y ago
  I don't doubt that that's true, but it's also educated, intelligent people who are more likely to have the kind of money that makes them targets for con men.
- LanceH 8y ago
  They always say that because it sounds a lot better, and they have no problem with lying.
- wp381640 8y ago
  Can't find the cite at the moment, but I recall that cult members were also likely to be college grads and of above-average intelligence
yourapostasy 8y ago
> ...they have false confidence about areas they have zero expertise in, purely because they feel they can figure it out. The antidote to this effect: pick any object around you, and set out to make it yourself from scratch. Or just set out to make the precursors. An object as prosaic as say, a window. A lot of people who suffer from this effect dismissively wave away such a challenge, saying in more words that it's beneath them to attempt because it is so pedestrian, or of course they could do it, but they don't have the time to. Those I know who are scary smart, are the ones who will more frequently pick up the challenge, and boy, are they fast at picking up what they need to know to meet the challenge. Me, I just feel dumb every day, but have a heck of a lot of fun along the way. I also stick to far less lofty aims. A few months ago I had never owned a chainsaw before, and a few weeks ago I processed half a cord of firewood with a chainsaw, maul, wedge and sledgehammer into smaller chunks for my smoker. I respect the hell out of the woodsmen who walk into the mountain forest for a full day of work with nary but a milk crate of supplies and those machines, and the experience makes me appreciate just how vast an efficieny improvement they represent over hand sawing.
- sjg007 8y ago
  Dirty jobs man.
- gaius 8y ago
  An object as prosaic as say, a window I think about this alot, starting from absolutely nothing I doubt I could even make a nail, let alone a screw, let alone a nut and bolt. I have no idea what iron ore looks like in the wild or where to find it. I could probably make charcoal and a furnace... if I had the tools, which I wouldn’t. It’s quite humbling.
  - yourapostasy 8y ago
    > It’s quite humbling. I didn't want to get all management-consultant-preachy earlier, but you touched upon why I persistently perform that exercise. I believe there is a very valuable leadership lesson imparted by continuously performing that exercise first-hand. Too often leadership devolves into management, especially when people lose sight of just how fractally difficult many human endeavors are. The humility helps teach me perspective on problems and people. That Australian aboriginal might live a dramatically different life than "developed world" citizens, but there is no way I can be convinced that on average, they aren't as smart.
dragonwriter 8y ago
> People vastly overestimate how intelligent they are when they place value on their intelligence; Even if they don't, intelligence does not replace domain knowledge.
los_angeles 8y ago
>>When they prize their own intelligence, they have false confidence about areas they have zero expertise in, purely because they feel they can figure it out. I wonder how this squares with the Dunning-Kruger effect. Are domain-stupid generally intelligent people more susceptible than domain-stupid generally stupid people if they are equally cocky?
bklaasen 8y ago
Is there a name for this cognitive bias?
- avip 8y ago
  Subclass of Illusory superiority.

gwicks56 8y ago

That's why, when you read the memoirs of conmen, they always say educated, intelligent people are the easiest to rip off.

grigjd3 8y ago
Funny, the PhD taught me to keep what I say fairly limited. On the other hand, I find generalists will say all kinds of crap that "sounds true" but they have at best a weak theory and a couple of anecdotes.
- learc83 8y ago
  You seem to be making an argument for a weak theory with a couple of anecdotes.
  - xcccccc 8y ago
    I think by "generalists" he means "people who can talk seemingly brilliantly about a wide range of issues" rather than non-PhDs. I would agree with his statement then. I have never met a brilliant talker who could actually do anything. Many top mathematicians appear clumsy in presentations to the uneducated listener. It is a great tragedy that fluent talking (these days aided by teleprompter) passes for intelligence.
  - zero_intp 8y ago
    Op is replying to anecdotes with anecdotes.
  - grigjd3 8y ago
    There is something kind of meta there, isn't there? ;)
bdowling 8y ago
I don't doubt that that's true, but it's also educated, intelligent people who are more likely to have the kind of money that makes them targets for con men.
LanceH 8y ago
They always say that because it sounds a lot better, and they have no problem with lying.
wp381640 8y ago
Can't find the cite at the moment, but I recall that cult members were also likely to be college grads and of above-average intelligence

yourapostasy 8y ago

> ...they have false confidence about areas they have zero expertise in, purely because they feel they can figure it out. The antidote to this effect: pick any object around you, and set out to make it yourself from scratch. Or just set out to make the precursors. An object as prosaic as say, a window. A lot of people who suffer from this effect dismissively wave away such a challenge, saying in more words that it's beneath them to attempt because it is so pedestrian, or of course they could do it, but they don't have the time to. Those I know who are scary smart, are the ones who will more frequently pick up the challenge, and boy, are they fast at picking up what they need to know to meet the challenge. Me, I just feel dumb every day, but have a heck of a lot of fun along the way. I also stick to far less lofty aims. A few months ago I had never owned a chainsaw before, and a few weeks ago I processed half a cord of firewood with a chainsaw, maul, wedge and sledgehammer into smaller chunks for my smoker. I respect the hell out of the woodsmen who walk into the mountain forest for a full day of work with nary but a milk crate of supplies and those machines, and the experience makes me appreciate just how vast an efficieny improvement they represent over hand sawing.

sjg007 8y ago
Dirty jobs man.
gaius 8y ago
An object as prosaic as say, a window I think about this alot, starting from absolutely nothing I doubt I could even make a nail, let alone a screw, let alone a nut and bolt. I have no idea what iron ore looks like in the wild or where to find it. I could probably make charcoal and a furnace... if I had the tools, which I wouldn’t. It’s quite humbling.
- yourapostasy 8y ago
  > It’s quite humbling. I didn't want to get all management-consultant-preachy earlier, but you touched upon why I persistently perform that exercise. I believe there is a very valuable leadership lesson imparted by continuously performing that exercise first-hand. Too often leadership devolves into management, especially when people lose sight of just how fractally difficult many human endeavors are. The humility helps teach me perspective on problems and people. That Australian aboriginal might live a dramatically different life than "developed world" citizens, but there is no way I can be convinced that on average, they aren't as smart.

dragonwriter 8y ago

> People vastly overestimate how intelligent they are when they place value on their intelligence; Even if they don't, intelligence does not replace domain knowledge.

los_angeles 8y ago

>>When they prize their own intelligence, they have false confidence about areas they have zero expertise in, purely because they feel they can figure it out. I wonder how this squares with the Dunning-Kruger effect. Are domain-stupid generally intelligent people more susceptible than domain-stupid generally stupid people if they are equally cocky?

bklaasen 8y ago

Is there a name for this cognitive bias?

avip 8y ago
Subclass of Illusory superiority.