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by d-d 2364 days ago
I can't say I agree with most of these points, but

> Certainty is strength

> [and survivorship bias]

This I have definitely seen and experienced. Back when I thought I knew everything some people followed me and copied what I did. I unwittingly became a leader simply by being arrogant. Now that I have a little wisdom that's all out the window.

Confidence is magnetic even if its foundations are nonsense. I think the mechanism is similar to clickbait but maybe less intentional.

1 comments

Yes, the phenomenon is true, but the point of the article is that it's a problem, and leads to bad outcomes. In your example, you've "became a leader simply by being arrogant". Were you, in your arrogance, to make a mistake, wouldn't your followers walk right into it and suffer the consequences?