It’s often said that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. On this view, there’s a “bad valley” - a level of knowledge that’s actually harmful. That’s because small amounts of knowledge are supposed to lead to big increases in overconfidence. No doubt there are situations where more knowledge is harmful. But it seems to me to be an untypical situation. Usually, the more knowledge, the better. Being somewhat literate is better than being illiterate. Knowing some French when you’re in France is better than knowing none. And so on.
Peaks and valleys, too clever by half
Peaks and valleys, too clever by half
Peaks and valleys, too clever by half
It’s often said that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. On this view, there’s a “bad valley” - a level of knowledge that’s actually harmful. That’s because small amounts of knowledge are supposed to lead to big increases in overconfidence. No doubt there are situations where more knowledge is harmful. But it seems to me to be an untypical situation. Usually, the more knowledge, the better. Being somewhat literate is better than being illiterate. Knowing some French when you’re in France is better than knowing none. And so on.