> when he saw that one of the most competent men in the history of western civilization The thing, this is only decidable in hindsight. Many a confident person

> when he saw that one of the most competent men in the history of western civilization The thing, this is only decidable in hindsight. Many a confident person has declared themselves to be "the most competent" and proven to be... not that. (competence & confidence are perhaps entirely uncorrelated)