[radomysisky]

Taleb isn't targeting well-educated laymen when he talks of IYIs. He's speaking of intellectuals who are divorced from reality. As he puts it, "No skin in the game", e.g. economists, journalists, forecasters, career academics, social "scientists", etc.

[throwaway4666]

Sure, and how does this not describe out-of-field tech workers and PhD havers pontificating over a bunch of questions where their job and/or reputation isn't on the line? I see plenty of people on here doing it in my field, and a cursory look at my post history will easily show I do the same in others (and with a throwaway account at that). It's just a thing we do, it seems ;-) nothing wrong with that as long as we're aware it's more of a self-indulgence than any kind of intellectual posturing. In that Taleb is useful as he keeps us honest, even if he's an asshole about it.