The Illusion of Literacy Expertise
In our time, one can observe a phenomenon where people with limited knowledge strive to present themselves as experts in matters of literacy. Their aggressive attempts to point out the "correctness" of rules and condemn those who truly possess deep knowledge often serve as a way to compensate for inner insecurity. The tendency to be assertive and criticize genuinely experienced interlocutors reflects not so much a pursuit of truth as it does a desire to secure a role as an authority. Such behavior demonstrates that behind apparent self-confidence often lies a lack of fundamental knowledge, and attempts to impose one's own viewpoint serve merely as temporary compensation for personal shortcomings.
Ultimately, this phenomenon raises an important question— is it worth choosing the path of arrogant criticism when true strength lies in constant self-improvement and the pursuit of real knowledge?Why do people with insufficient erudition frequently attempt to instruct the educated on issues of literacy?People with limited erudition often try to instruct the educated on matters of literacy, attempting to compensate for their inner insecurity and their desire to assert an apparent expertise. They may display assertiveness and even criticize those who truly possess knowledge in order to create an illusion of superiority and cover for their own gaps in understanding the basics.For instance, one source provides an example of such behavior. The author writes: "There are, my lord, those who have elevated us to heresy, yet they barely know the alphabet. And I am aware that they do not know which letters in the alphabet are vowels, consonants, and double vowels. And to understand the eight parts of speech and what genders and numbers, tenses, persons, and voices are, never even crossed their minds. Sacred Philosophy has never been in their hands..." (source: link txt).This quote shows that individuals with limited knowledge attempt to act as bearers of authority in matters of literacy, even though they essentially do not possess the necessary information. Their criticism may serve as an attempt to consolidate their own position in society by condemning even those who have genuine knowledge. Such an approach may allow them to temporarily compensate for their lack of erudition by imposing the opinion that only their view on "literacy" is true and correct.