Blueprint of Ignorance: The Illusion of Explanatory Depth and Why We Understand Nothing

Do you know how a toilet works? You probably said "yes." Now, take a piece of paper and draw the mechanism inside the tank. Explain exactly how the flush happens. Most people fail this test. They draw impossible machines. This is the "Illusion of Explanatory Depth." We mistake our familiarity with objects for an understanding of how they function.

This book explores why we are all much dumber than we think we are. We outsource our knowledge to the world around us—to other people, to the inte...