Summary of Steven Sloman & Philip Fernbach's The Knowledge Illusion

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The illusion of explanatory depth is the name given to the fact that people usually overestimate their understanding of how things work. It is based on the fact that people usually have little to say when asked to explain how a zipper works.

#2 The illusion of explanatory depth is when people believe they understand something when they really don’t. It can be seen in the way people rate their knowledge of zippers, and it can be seen in people’s understanding of bicycles.

#3 The students were asked to fill in the missing parts of the drawing. It was surprisingly difficult for them to do so. Many did not even get the correct picture, and chose pictures showing the chain around the front wheel as well as the back wheel, which would make it impossible to turn.

#4 We overestimate how much we know, and we do this because we believe that we’re more ignorant than we think we are. We estimate the size of human memory on the same scale that is used to measure the size of computer memories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822506435

IRB Media

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Insights on Steven Sloman & Philip Fernbach's The Knowledge Illusion

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The illusion of explanatory depth is the name given to the fact that people usually overestimate their understanding of how things work. It is based on the fact that people usually have little to say when asked to explain how a zipper works.

#2

The illusion of explanatory depth is when people believe they understand something when they really don’t. It can be seen in the way people rate their knowledge of zippers, and it can be seen in people’s understanding of bicycles.

#3

The students were asked to fill in the missing parts of the drawing. It was surprisingly difficult for them to do so. Many did not even get the correct picture, and chose pictures showing the chain around the front wheel as well as the back wheel, which would make it impossible to turn.

#4

We overestimate how much we know, and we do this because we believe that we’re more ignorant than we think we are. We estimate the size of human memory on the same scale that is used to measure the size of computer memories.

#5

The model of the human mind as a computer that stores and retains memories breaks down when you consider the complexity of the world we live in. People do not just rely on a central processor that reads and writes to a memory to think.

#6

The complexity of the human world is nothing compared to the complexity of the natural world. Rocks and minerals are more complicated than they seem once you take a close look, while scientists still don’t fully understand natural phenomena such as how black holes work.