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Sometimes, experts are anything but | Gold Mountain California News

goldmountaincanews.com

When six people died in a Maldives cave-diving accident, the real culprit may have been expertise itself — and the dangerous overconfidence it breeds.

Dunning-Kruger EffectOverconfidence BiasExpert HeuristicsRisk Homeostasis
Sometimes, experts are anything but | Gold Mountain California News

Theory Briefing

  • Six people died in a Maldives cave-diving accident, including a would-be rescue diver undone by misplaced confidence.
  • The Dunning-Kruger effect warns that high competence in one domain can inflate perceived competence in another, with fatal results.
  • Expert identity can suppress the self-doubt that keeps people alive — a paradox at the heart of high-stakes decision-making.