When we pretend to know something that we don’t or start a comment with “everyone knows that...”, we create an atmosphere where answers become irrelevant. It closes off our openness to new ideas, ways of thinking and discovering new information. This is the curse of knowingness.
On this episode of Behavioral Grooves, Jonathan Malesic discusses the concept of "knowingness" - the tendency people have to act like they already know something when in fact they don't. This false sense of knowledge can prevent learning and understanding. Overcoming knowingness requires maintaining a healthy skepticism and openness to new evidence.
Knowingness afflicts all corners of our politics. And I think that it's a real problem when it starts afflicting people whose job is to inform us.
Jonathan Malesic teaches writing at Southern Methodist University and creative nonfiction at the University of Texas at Dallas. He’s a philosopher and scholar and cares a lot about something we do every week: science communication. And he's also a previous guest on the show when he discussed how to end burnout on episode 302.
Writing for an audience can help develop empathy and moral imagination by forcing writers to imagine the needs and perspective of their readers. Jonathan argues that learning to write is an ethical training that teaches us to relate to others beyond ourselves. With the emergence of new AI tools like ChatGPT it begs the question of whether writing needs to be taught at all. But Jonathan doesn’t feel threatened by AI. He explains that with a lack of empathy, AI will never be able to effectively write for its audience.
(3:12) Welcome and speed round questions.
(7:02) Our problem isn’t misinformation, it’s knowingness.
(9:16) Is knowingness a type of confirmation bias?
(11:31) How already knowing makes it impossible to learn anything new.
(15:04) The role of the internet and social media on confirmation bias.
(18:43) Cognitive dissonance and the structure of scientific revolutions.
(20:54) How can we overcome knowingness?
(28:55) How do you change someone’s mind?
(30:54) Do we still need to teach writing now that we have ChatGPT?
(39:09) How do we relate to people we imagine?
(43:24) What music would Jon take to a desert island?
(47:18) Grooving Session with Kurt and Tim on knowingness.
© 2023 Behavioral Grooves
Links
Episode 302, You Have Dignity Because You’re Human, Not Because You Work | Jonathan Malesic: https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/you-have-dignity-jonathan-malesic/
Jonathan Malesic’s book “The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives”: https://amzn.to/3tDdS8j
Jonathan Lear “Open Minded: Working Out the Logic of the Soul”: https://amzn.to/3PyP2SJ
“Our big problem is not misinformation; it’s knowingness” by Jonathan Malesic: https://psyche.co/ideas/our-big-problem-is-not-misinformation-its-knowingness
Buffalo Sabres: https://www.nhl.com/sabres
Thomas Kuhn “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”: https://amzn.to/3JqLe1O
Oedipus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus
Episode 31, Leaving the Matrix: Annie Duke and Insights into how you can improve your thinking! https://behavioralgrooves.com/episode/leaving-the-matrix-annie-duke-and-insights-into-how-you-can-improve-your-thinking/
Behavioral Grooves Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/behavioralgrooves
Musical Links
Neil Young “Harvest Moon”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2MtEsrcTTs
Fiona Apple “Criminal”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFOzayDpWoI
Why You Never Feel Good Enough As A Perfectionist | Thomas Curran
Overcome Chronic Busyness With A Growth Mindset | Eduardo Briceño
Volunteering for Well-Being: How Team Rubicon Helps Volunteers and Communities | David Burke and Patti Norberg
Our Quest to Feel Significant And How It Affects Our Behavior | Arie Kruglanski PhD
How Best to Create a Culture of Learning | Sarah Nicholl
Imperfectly Perfect: The Science of Human Decision Making | Lionel Page
Want To Make Tomorrow Better? Get To Know Your Future Self Today | Hal Hershfield
Money, Success and the Cult of Never Enough | Manisha Thakor
All The Ways Into Behavioral Science (And No, You Don’t Need a PhD) | Merle Van Den Akker
Confidence, Certainty and Control: The Map to Success | Peter Atwater
The Psychology of Scams: Why We Fall for Fraud and How to Protect Yourself | Daniel Simons & Christopher Chabris
People Want Answers: How to Communicate in a Crisis with Christopher Reddy
Feeling Stuck? Steps To Get Out Of Your Rut And How Music Helps | Adam Alter
Are You A People Pleaser? Learn To Say No More with Vanessa Patrick PhD
What Do You Think? How To Improve Your Perspective And Your Life | Woo-Kyoung Ahn PhD
How We’re Missing The Point With The Gender Pay Gap | Alex Imas PhD
Want People To Comply With Rules? Start With Trust | Christian Hunt
Grooving on Goals: The Magic of Goals [Republish: Episode 27]
Groove Track | Why It Takes More Than Willpower To Reach Your Goals
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Poetry of Science
Hidden Brain
The Science of Happiness
Choiceology with Katy Milkman
Therapist Uncensored Podcast