It’s fun to see a meme meet its logical conclusion: For those unaware, the midwit meme, as depicted by the IQ bell curve, signifies the horseshoe theory at play with a myriad of opinions. Individuals at both extremes of the bell curve share similar views, albeit with differing rationales. Meanwhile, those in the middle, the "midwits," hold opinions they overestimate, overpraising their intelligence in the process.
Perhaps a bit of a twist to consider. As a Boomer in my mid-70s, I can state that neither I nor those whom I grew up with, partied with, or entered the job market with ever had the opportunity to be a midwit. Parents were the boss, cops were tough, employers experienced no bounds applied to their rules, and no adult cared much about what kids thought or had to say. That bubble burst during the Viet Nam war protests and, although the adults hated it, the kids finally spoke up with their newly discovered midwittery in mass. Our new found midwittery led us young adults into some extremely dicey social experiments and environments loaded with lessons learned opportunities.
I am enjoying the openness of this new world, especially in the US, were anyone can experiment with any form of thinking, personal expression, or mode of existence. Midwittery is a very new form of expression that is no longer capable of being punished or alienated by authority. Midwittery is now judged by piers - the harshest of critics. It is a new right of passage to the potential for discovering wisdom. Midwittery has always been a suppressed part of humans throughout our history but, now that we all have midwit freedom, it is here to stay. My view is that wisdom cannot arrive for the individual until the individual starts out as a midwit, hears the opinions of hosts of midwits, and then becomes confidently wise enough to call bullshit.
I was actually tempted to do a midwit meme in my latest post re kleptoklesis, with a meta-note on the ironic slave-moral-esque "my way is better" vibe.
I wonder if some of this (IYI) may be unavoidable, especially initially. Many of us spend the first half of our lives with "Imposter's syndrome," the feeling of being overwhelmed by the demands of life and in turn, struggling to find the confidence to meet these challenges. So we often find ourselves "faking it" until we gain mastery in something, typically after investing around 10,000 hours of practice. However, for some individuals, this tendency to inflate themselves becomes a habit they never outgrow. As you highlight, Peter, it's essential to become aware for this behavior in others and, more importantly, in ourselves. Only then do we stand a chance of cultivating humility and, consequently, embracing our sovereignty.
I'm gratified to see that we're on the same page about midwittery. Some people seemed to miss that the real critique I was trying to level was at intellectual vanity (which, to be fair, perhaps I didn't do enough to make clear), which is increasingly becoming both a product of and produced by a specific media market. I think you're right that intellectual humility is the point to land on. I am deeply concerned by the hollowing out of the intellectual culture—particularly as it attends the delegitimation and failures of schools—but sometimes I'm more Lippmann than Dewey. That's more of a personal vice than a conviction.
Perhaps a bit of a twist to consider. As a Boomer in my mid-70s, I can state that neither I nor those whom I grew up with, partied with, or entered the job market with ever had the opportunity to be a midwit. Parents were the boss, cops were tough, employers experienced no bounds applied to their rules, and no adult cared much about what kids thought or had to say. That bubble burst during the Viet Nam war protests and, although the adults hated it, the kids finally spoke up with their newly discovered midwittery in mass. Our new found midwittery led us young adults into some extremely dicey social experiments and environments loaded with lessons learned opportunities.
I am enjoying the openness of this new world, especially in the US, were anyone can experiment with any form of thinking, personal expression, or mode of existence. Midwittery is a very new form of expression that is no longer capable of being punished or alienated by authority. Midwittery is now judged by piers - the harshest of critics. It is a new right of passage to the potential for discovering wisdom. Midwittery has always been a suppressed part of humans throughout our history but, now that we all have midwit freedom, it is here to stay. My view is that wisdom cannot arrive for the individual until the individual starts out as a midwit, hears the opinions of hosts of midwits, and then becomes confidently wise enough to call bullshit.
Midwit! Wordcel! IYI!
Thank you for furnishing this Luddite with fresh arrows
I was actually tempted to do a midwit meme in my latest post re kleptoklesis, with a meta-note on the ironic slave-moral-esque "my way is better" vibe.
Funny synchronicity
I wonder if some of this (IYI) may be unavoidable, especially initially. Many of us spend the first half of our lives with "Imposter's syndrome," the feeling of being overwhelmed by the demands of life and in turn, struggling to find the confidence to meet these challenges. So we often find ourselves "faking it" until we gain mastery in something, typically after investing around 10,000 hours of practice. However, for some individuals, this tendency to inflate themselves becomes a habit they never outgrow. As you highlight, Peter, it's essential to become aware for this behavior in others and, more importantly, in ourselves. Only then do we stand a chance of cultivating humility and, consequently, embracing our sovereignty.
y comments at https://johnstokdijk538.substack.com/p/in-the-middle.
I'm gratified to see that we're on the same page about midwittery. Some people seemed to miss that the real critique I was trying to level was at intellectual vanity (which, to be fair, perhaps I didn't do enough to make clear), which is increasingly becoming both a product of and produced by a specific media market. I think you're right that intellectual humility is the point to land on. I am deeply concerned by the hollowing out of the intellectual culture—particularly as it attends the delegitimation and failures of schools—but sometimes I'm more Lippmann than Dewey. That's more of a personal vice than a conviction.