Little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with The Point.

If you've spent any time at all on the internet talking about controversial subjects,

chances are someone's told you to do your research.

In theory, reading up on a topic before giving an opinion is a good idea.

But as James Ballantine and David Dunning wrote at the New York Times recently,

it's not always easy to get good information online.

A little bit

of reading, especially reading purposely selected to reinforce our bias, can convince us that we

know more about a subject than we really do. Dunning's one of two social scientists who named

the Dunning Kruger effect or the beginner's bubble. It's the illusion that someone has,

after reading an article or watching a video, that they've somehow mastered the subject. This is an internet-wide problem. Echo chambers are not superior to ivory towers.

The same ease of access to information online that allows us to challenge the status quo

also enables us to find the answers we want to find, whether or not they're really true.

So beware of the bubble. Remember the wisdom of humility.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.