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One of the great ironies of our hyper-connected age is that we have unprecedented access to information yet seem increasingly trapped in bubbles of our own certainty. Despite the world’s knowledge at our fingertips, we’ve developed an impressive talent for filtering out anything that might challenge our existing views.
Brian Klaas describes this phenomenon in a recent essay as ‘knowingness’ – a sort of intellectual smugness that assumes we already possess all the answers. Klaas argues that this false certainty poses the most fundamental danger to our democracies.
“It’s defined by a relationship to knowledge in which we always believe that we already know the answer – even before the question is asked. It’s a lack of intellectual curiosity, in which the purpose of knowledge is to reaffirm prior beliefs rather than to be a journey of discovery and awe.”
This mindset is what leads to misinformation spreading like wildfire. It’s not just that people are uninformed – that would be relatively easy to fix. The real problem is that they’re misinformed and certain about it:
“In the past, we needed to worry about uninformed voters, those who didn’t know much about politics. These days, we need to worry about the much more dangerous misinformed voters. Uninformed voters often recognize the limits of their knowledge and are therefore more hesitant. Misinformed voters are certain they know something they don’t – and they don’t hesitate to act, sometimes aggressively, on those false beliefs.”
Drawing on historian Richard Hofstadter’s work, Klaas reminds us that genuine intellectualism isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. Instead, “it’s an approach to knowledge that treats intellectual pursuits as a constant opportunity for discovery. Self-assurance and certainty are rivals to true intellectualism.”
To break free from these constraints, Klaas points toward rekindling a sense of wonder and collaborative inquiry: “We, as a society, would be better off if our politics could become re-centered around a collective process of searching for answers to solve problems, made possible by exploring evidence, and then learning from it.”
There’s wisdom in acknowledging what Socrates understood centuries ago – that true wisdom begins with admitting how little we actually know. “The point isn’t to acquire knowledge to eliminate ignorance. That’s impossible. Instead, it’s to treat knowledge as the joy of discovery.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to sidestep the tedium of culture wars – which Klaas describes as boring precisely because “no one is trying to find out anything” – and instead value the questions more than the answers. – Kai
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Minimal | Writing + NotesSPONSOR
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A focused notes app for thoughtful writers
Minimal is a meditation-inspired writing app. Its most ground-breaking feature is the Note Lifetime. Your notes die as they become irrelevant in your life, leaving your notes fresh, organised, and always reflective of the present moment.
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Apps & Sites
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Paralino (Android & iOS) is a privacy-focused location-sharing app that allows you to share your real-time whereabouts with friends and family securely through end-to-end encryption. It offers more features and options than, say, Apple’s Find My app. For example, see the other person’s battery level, speed, elevation, signal strength and more.
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Customise your macOS dock
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For the individualists among you: give your macOS dock some personality by adding emojis, PNGs or JPGs to your favourite apps, and personalise your Mac experience with custom dock icons.
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A little macOS utility that closes unused apps to free up memory and enhance your battery life. It’s lightweight and uses 0% CPU. Oh and it’s free and open source.
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Call your political reps (US-only)
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A handy little tool that makes contacting your local representative to voice your opposition to (or support of) certain bills easy: “We research issues, write scripts that clearly articulate a progressive position, figure out the most influential decision-makers, and collect phone numbers for their offices. All you have to do is call.” A great idea for making your voice heard – if you’re a US citizen.
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Worthy Five: Dimitri Antonopoulos
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A video worth watching:
Without doubt, Al Jazeera English Live is my go-to news source. Intelligent, thoughtful and global, unlike most news media sources.
A book worth reading:
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates is the book we all need to open our minds and our hearts and to understand the power of the stories we’re told.
A word worth knowing:
Philotimo (Φιλότιμο) is a word in Greek that means to always show love and honour towards others and ourselves. We were raised with this word forever in our consciousness.
An activity worth doing:
Running. Just get out there. It will change your life. And yes, it’s much more fun with Strava.
A quote worth repeating:
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” – James Baldwin
(Did you know? Friends of DD can respond to and engage with guest contributors like Dimitri Antonopoulos in one click.)
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Books & Accessories
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A critical take on modern activism
Musa al-Gharbi argues that the rise and influence of ‘wokeness’ in contemporary discourse is often overstated and misunderstood. With data and historical context, al-Gharbi challenges common assumptions about social progress, activism and political identity, offering a nuanced perspective on the limits and contradictions of what he calls ‘symbolic capitalists’. “In education, media, nonprofits, and beyond, members of this elite work primarily with words, ideas, images, and data, and are very likely to identify as allies of antiracist, feminist, LGBTQ, and other progressive causes. Their dominant ideology is ‘wokeness’ and, while their commitment to equality is sincere, they actively benefit from and perpetuate the inequalities they decry.”
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Plant-based eating: more than a diet
Food writer Alicia Kennedy explores the cultural, historical and political evolution of plant-based eating, challenging mainstream narratives around vegetarianism and veganism. “Many people become vegans because they are concerned about the role capitalist food systems play in climate change, inequality, white supremacy, and environmental and cultural degradation. But a world where Walmart sells frozen vegan pizzas and non-dairy pints of ice cream are available at gas stations – raises distinct questions about the meanings and goals of plant-based eating.”
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Overheard on the Socials
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The older I get, the more I realize that the most luxurious thing is being able to live in a walkable city. Wearing a nice little outfit and walking 15 mins to buy just enough groceries for a single dinner will make you feel like Mrs. Dalloway going to the market.
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Food for Thought
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Brian Klaas points to ‘knowingness’ – the false belief that we already know everything – as the primary threat to democracy by fostering misinformation and discouraging curiosity. A widespread mindset that leads people to act on false beliefs without considering new evidence. “Yes, polarization, specifically asymmetric polarization, is certainly a real, dangerous phenomenon. But there are actually many disagreements that aren’t about divergent policy goals, but rather about the impenetrability of people’s minds.”
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Reflecting on her ‘Monk January’ in which she abstained from social media, Eliza McLamb questions how much information is truly necessary to engage with the world without becoming overwhelmed or desensitized. She concludes that knowing enough to understand her own feelings and thoughts is more valuable than being inundated with constant information. “It is a privilege within itself to not live in a place where I need to rely on immediate, urgent communications. I do not live in a warzone or a natural disaster area where I must constantly receive updates on where it may be safe for me to be, what it may be safe for me to do.”
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Alicia Kennedy – author of No Meat Required (see Books above) and a popular on food and culture – with an insightful intro on the politics of food. Through a short analysis of influential books on the topic, she highlights how food is intertwined with politics, identity, and historical legacies. “I’m being asked how people should eat. I bristle at this question: The idea that there is any one ‘right’ way to eat for everyone in every place is absurd. Attempts to flatten regionality and ecological reality into one big global diet are imperialist at their core, whether their goal is a ‘green revolution’ or a half-earth rewilding.”
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Aesthetically Pleasing
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Marta Saraiva is a Portuguese illustrator and graphic designer known for her vibrant, sarcastic artworks that humorously critique contemporary life and social norms.
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Base Cabin are small architectural spaces, “designed to be transported on a trailer and wheeled into place – in the countryside, near the ocean, down a city laneway, or in your garden”. Very cute!
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Australian artist Scott Laurenson’s hyperrealistic seascape paintings capture the ocean’s dynamic beauty. It’s fascinating watching him work.
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Font of the week: With an enticing mix of spiky and soft sentiment, Gregory Poster is a weird and wonderful flared serif with a dazzling smile.
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Notable Numbers
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YouTube took the lead in Nielsen’s February 2025 Media Distributor Gauge to capture 11.6% of time spent watching. That means Americans watched YouTube on their TVs more than anything else – more than Disney (and all of its entities), NBC, Paramount, Fox and Netflix.
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Napster – originally a peer-to-peer file-sharing application and more recently a music streaming service offering on-demand streaming of licensed tracks – was acquired by 3D technology company Infinite Reality for $207 million.
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Average Wall Street bonuses surged last year, with the total pool for payouts jumping to a record $47.5 billion as industry profits soared. The average annual bonus rose by almost a third, to $244,700.
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Classifieds
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The Week in a GIF
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Reply with your favourite GIF and it might get featured here in a future issue.
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