Globally Rational

I came across an interesting article today. In short, it is about a study proving that the world’s most incompetent people are typically unaware of their incompetence. On the contrary, they are usually pretty overconfident.

This is the eternal problem with most democratic societies. We have a series of ignorant people who strongly believe that their opinion is the best one. The more competent voters are usually willing to recognize that their knowledge is limited and they may change their opinion based on new facts or changes in the context. The less competent ones, however, are the ones who are hard-set in their opinions and believe that they are always right.

This issue is what leads to many major policy mistakes. Often, the people vote based on their past allegiances and their restricted worldview rather than the real issues of the day. This is what causes Pakistan, for example, to repeatedly elect not only incompetent leaders, but also known criminals (see here and here). So what is the solution?

I think we can all agree that better education will help everybody, especially in countries like Pakistan where the literacy rate is painfully low. A more educated populace will, by default, be more competent when the time comes to make a political decision. The problem is that the policymakers know that improved education will only cause them to lose their supporters. Also, increased taxes, even for the purpose of improving society by education, will never be popular.

What is the solution? Well, I will continue to do my part by disseminating these views through the blogosphere. You can do your part by spreading the word to more people. If you tell 10 people and they tell 10 people, then by the time that happens 10 times, the entire world will have heard it.

Socrates once said that “the only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.”

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