Quiz: The Case for Imperfect Knowledge

Q1. The "asymmetry of correction" means:

(a) Some corrections are more important than others (b) The cost of being wrong is not fixed — it scales with how long the error persists. Every year of extended wrong consensus has real costs in lives, suffering, and wasted resources (c) Corrections are always painful (d) Some fields correct faster than others

Answer**(b)** The tools in this book are designed to make corrections *faster* — not to make knowledge perfect. Faster correction means less time spent wrong. Less time spent wrong means less human cost.

Q2. The chapter argues that the appropriate response to this book is:

(a) "Knowledge is impossible, so why bother" (b) "We should never trust experts again" (c) Calibrated confidence — confidence in methods, humility about conclusions, with the tools to detect errors and the courage to update when evidence demands it (d) "Everything in the book is wrong"

Answer**(c)** The book's message is not nihilism (everything is wrong) or overconfidence (we know the truth). It is calibrated epistemic humility — the stance that produces genuinely better knowledge over time.

Q3. "Less wrong" differs from "still wrong" because:

(a) They are the same thing (b) "Less wrong" is genuinely better — medicine in 2025 is dramatically less wrong than in 1825, and the progress is real even though it is incomplete (c) "Less wrong" means "right" (d) "Less wrong" is worse than "wrong"

Answer**(b)** Less wrong is not a consolation prize. It is the only kind of progress possible — and it is the kind that saves lives, reduces suffering, and builds a world that works somewhat better than the one before.

Q4. Epistemic humility is described as "epistemic courage" because:

(a) Humble people are always brave (b) It takes courage to say "I might be wrong" when professional culture rewards certainty, to challenge consensus when the credibility tax is high, and to redesign institutions when powerful actors benefit from the status quo (c) Courage and humility are the same thing (d) The book is trying to make humility sound impressive

Answer**(b)** Every dissenter celebrated in this book — Marshall, Hinton, the Innocence Project founders, the Open Science reformers — demonstrated epistemic courage: confidence in their methods, humility about their conclusions, and willingness to let evidence determine outcomes.

Q5. The closing sentiment of the book — "Knowledge does not require certainty — only honesty, humility, and the courage to change your mind when the evidence demands it" — captures:

(a) The argument that knowledge is impossible (b) The book's central thesis: that structural failure modes can be diagnosed, that correction can be accelerated, and that the stance of calibrated humility — confident in methods, humble about conclusions — is both achievable and sufficient (c) The argument that this book is always right (d) The argument that we should stop studying epistemology

Answer**(b)** The closing integrates all nine themes: failure modes are structural; they trap smart people; the same forces create right and wrong consensus; every field believes it's uniquely rational; institutions can preserve error; correction has a personal cost; humility and confidence coexist; you are currently wrong about something; and every correction mechanism can become an error source. The response is not despair but disciplined hope.

Scoring Guide

  • 5 correct: You understand the book's concluding argument and its relationship to the full framework.
  • 3-4 correct: Good. Review the distinction between epistemic humility, epistemic nihilism, and epistemic overconfidence.
  • Below 3: Re-read the chapter — and consider whether the difficulty reflects genuine confusion or the discomfort of the message.