I think I suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect quite a bit - but it is dramatically harder for me to be aware of it. Instead of imposter syndrome I feel competent 24/7 - and if I don't understand something, that is the fault of the designer of the API or language. How do I get past this? How do I go from being an irrational nitwit, who obsesses about programming languages, to someone who can pick a language and actually master it?
Should I have a smurf account to ask the questions that indicate how stupid I am?
Also, I spend a majority of my time on reddit, browsing r/all, and it's kind of odd considering how much I despise almost everything I read. I am stuck doing that, and I don't know why. I am addicted to browsing news sites - even though I hate politics and think it is a circus to confuse people, and I hate layman writing about science.
Instead of paragraphs commenting on this text - please create a list of the habits you think are most important for being rational. I don't want someone saying "You are suffering from the classic 'Tourniquet of reality'" - I want someone to go "Try to remember that you need your wallet, keys and glasses when you go outside".
Take a breath and let the feeling happen. Then make a rational choice based on available information. Feelings are computational shortcuts that are often wrong, but right often enough we evolved to keep them. In the words of the venerable Douglas Adams: "Don't panic."
>How do I get past this?
By being humble. None of is as dumb as all of us. Assume you're wrong and the opposing view is right until proven otherwise.
>Should I have a smurf account to ask the questions that indicate how stupid I am?
We shouldn't. There's no shame in admitting ignorance. It's a curable state.
>Also, I spend a majority of my time on reddit, browsing r/all, and it's kind of odd considering how much I despise almost everything I read. I am stuck doing that, and I don't know why. I am addicted to browsing news sites - even though I hate politics and think it is a circus to confuse people, and I hate layman writing about science.
I used to do this until they became left wing authoritarian propaganda in mid 2015. [Filter bubbles](https://choosetoencrypt.com/search-engines/filter-bubbles-se...) are bad, and escaping them takes work, because they can form around you unbidden.
>You are suffering from the classic 'Tourniquet of reality'" - I want someone to go "Try to remember that you need your wallet, keys and glasses when you go outside".
Question everything. Especially yourself. That said, conditioning works. Even on human animals. Routines can keep you functional and grounded when all else is chaos and insanity around you. The wallet, pocket, pocket tap sequence can keep you out of a lot of first world trouble, but if you think you've found easy answers to anything important, be suspicious.