The Official Website of Michael Corthell

''Through education, critical thinking, and a commitment to self-improvement, we can confront the existential threat that collective ignorance poses to America and the world.'' Michael Corthell In today's polarized world, the prevalence of what we term "stupidity" is not merely an insult, but a pressing concern. This phenomenon, rooted in the Dunning-Kruger effect , poses a significant threat to rational discourse, informed decision-making, and societal progress. It's crucial to understand that stupidity is not synonymous with low intelligence, but rather a failure to recognize one's cognitive limitations. This editorial argues that by acknowledging our own ignorance and fostering awareness, we can mitigate the dangers of collective ignorance and work towards a more informed, rational society. The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Unmasking Ignorance The Dunning-Kruger effect reveals a cognitive bias wherein individuals overestimate their competence and know

Nudge theory is a flexible and modern concept for: Understanding of how people  think , make  decisions , and  behave, Helping people  improve their  thinking  and  decisions, Managing change  of all sorts, and Identifying  and  modifying existing unhelpful influences  on people. People are greatly influenced by consumption norms within a social or family group. A light eater will eat much more than they usually would when they find themselves with a group of heavy eaters. A heavy eater will eat less when they are with a group of  light eaters. The average group behavior therefore can exert a great deal of influence.  Nudge theory was named and popularized by the 2008 book, ' Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness ', written by American academics Richard H Thaler and Cass R Sunstein. The book is based strongly on the Nobel prize-winning work of the Israeli-American psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Background - Thaler and Sunstein 'Nudg

Robert Sapolsky on Socio-Economic Inequality: The Haves and Have Nots  Summary: People have known for a long time that socioeconomic status correlates with all sorts of measures of health.  In the United States, you look at the five percent wealthiest and the five percent poorest and there is a 25-year difference in life expectancy . That is dramatic, and you find that in every westernized society. [But] not as extreme as in the US but it is there.  There was a simple explanation that poor people cannot afford to go to the doctor, but if you look at countries with universal health care and there is that same relationship between economic status and health. So, then you say poor people are living next door to toxic waste dumps they're living in dangerous neighborhoods they don't have the money to go to health clubs they don't have the money to buy healthy foods.  If you do careful studies and lifestyle risk factors and protective factors only explain about one-third of the