The Three Most Important Words We’re Taught Not to Say 26.29 Min. by Nate Hagens, Oct 24, 2025
In this week’s Frankly, Nate considers the ways in which our social species overvalues false-confidence rather than the more honest and inquisitive response of “I don’t know.” He invites us to consider the science behind this cultural bias towards certainty: from our biological response from the stress of “not knowing” to the reinforcing effects of motivated reasoning that ensnares even the smartest among us (especially the smartest among us).
Overconfidence and the desire for quick answers have been the root cause of many of humanity’s disasters, from the space shuttle Challenger explosion to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill to the subprime housing bubble. And now, the exponential growth and integration of Artificial Intelligence is hyper-fueling this risk, as AI mirrors the human aversion to uncertainty through “hallucinations”. As some AI companies are now considering penalizing over-confident answers in favor of “I don’t know”, perhaps humans could learn to do the same for ourselves.
How often do you say. “I don’t know”? In what ways do we lose opportunities for conversation and exploration by not admitting our own uncertainties? Can listening to our own gut for “truth” and embracing intentional Red Team dissent shift “I don’t know” from weakness to wisdom?
Show Notes and More: https://www.thegreatsimplification.co…
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Best lesson my step grandfather taught me was:
“Think before doing, and think again before you start.”
Best lesson I learned in university was from my Entomology prof and supervisor. I had complained to him in one of our study meetings that I knew nothing, that university was the wrong place for me.
He smiled, said, “When you realize you know nothing, that’s when you start learning.”