The closing program of Induction Weekend 2025 featured a presentation by newly elected member David Dunning, who then joined Academy President Laurie Patton for a wide-ranging conversation exploring how people do and do not recognize the limits and depth of their knowledge and how that affects their trust in others and their decision making.
His presentation was titled "Why Do Fools Think They Are Wise? Should the Wise Believe Themselves to be the Fool?"
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[Dr. Dunning’s] research centers on the psychology underlying personal misbeliefs and social misunderstandings. In his most widely-cited work, he showed that people commonly hold flattering opinions of their competence, character, and prospects that cannot be justified from objective evidence—a phenomenon carrying many implications for health, education, the workplace, and economic exchange.
Read more and watch the recorded lecture at The American Academy of Arts & Sciences
