Sūtor, nē supra crepidam

Sūtor, nē supra crepidam

This latin expression means “let not the shoemaker go beyond shoes”, and is the root of the word ultracrepidarian, which describes someone that ignored this advice, giving opinions or advice on matters outside of their knowledge.

But how can we know what we don’t know? “For I was conscious that I knew practically nothing…” allegedly said Socrates. The Dunning-Kruger effect cognitive bias shows that people with limited competence in a particular area tend to overestimate their skills, while experts in that area tend to underestimate their skills.

Humility lesson for the shoemaker… and here is the remainder of the Socrates quote:

…but I knew I should find that they knew many fine things. And in this I was not deceived; they did know what I did not, and in this way they were wiser than I.