Why do we think we understand the world more than we actually do?

Other: The Illusion of Explanatory Depth(thedecisionlab.com)view on HackerNews
cognitive biasexplanatory depthunderstandingknowledgeexplanationillusion.

Author: rramadass

Date: 7/28/2026

Article Summary:
The Illusion of Explanatory Depth is a cognitive bias where people overestimate their understanding of complex concepts, only to realize their actual knowledge is much shallower when they're asked to explain them.