Double Illusion of Transparency

Abstract

The post discusses the author’s personal realization of the inferential distances and difficulties in conveying complex ideas like Bayesian reasoning and Artificial Intelligence. Initially assuming a straightforward correlation between the speaker’s intention and the listener’s understanding, the author explored the concept of the double illusion of transparency, learning that his explanations were not as clear as believed. His interaction with a confused listener led him to question the effectiveness of traditional educational institutions and appreciate the need for systematic, step-by-step knowledge progression even in the context of informal learning. An attempt to communicate advanced ideas necessitated recursing back to foundational concepts, highlighting the importance of a carefully curated starting point for comprehensible knowledge dissemination. This narrative underscores the challenge of teaching or explaining complex ideas, especially when the explainer is immersed in the subject matter and may overlook inferential distances. – AI-generated abstract.