Is Everyone Else Smarter Than Me?
Embracing Doubt in a Culture of Instant Answers
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Do you know that feeling of insecurity when you’re surrounded by people who seem to have an answer ready for every question? It’s an experience many of us share — that quiet discomfort that sets in when others effortlessly discuss complex topics while we’re still busy processing the question. It becomes particularly irritating when it’s a field in which we should actually possess expertise.
In such moments, it’s helpful to realize that we might be dealing with personalities driven more by self-presentation than by well-founded knowledge. The motto applies: Much opinion, little substance, big impact.
This discomfort is more than just a fleeting emotion; it’s deeply rooted in our epistemology, ethics, and psychology. As someone who has intensively engaged with philosophy, law, and psychology, I want to explore in this article why people with seemingly boundless knowledge often appear suspicious to us and how we ourselves can avoid falling into the trap of hasty opinion-giving. At the end of this text, I will even present a constructive solution approach.
Important: The ability to make quick decisions can be important…
