I’m still wrapping my brain around this concept, which I recently heard Tyler Cowan using on a Tom Ferris podcast. In the context of their conversation concerning COVID-19, he described it as (forgive me Tyler, I’m paraphrasing here):
“Knowing what sources to to turn to for honest and reliable information.”
On reading more about it, the idea seems to encompass an understanding of one’s current cognitive limitations, or at least the limits of one’s knowledge on any given subject.
Regardless, perhaps this is the defining skill of a rational and intelligent human in the age of false information overwhelming the internet.
I know it’s easier said than done, but we can’t stop trying. We must always question orthodoxy and remain open to changing our minds.