Belief in belonging to a special class corrupts judgment

It is very unhealthy for people to decide they belong to a special class whose every opinion is worthwhile beyond their area of expertise; the 'special rules apply to me' mindset—seen in figures from William Shockley to citation-heavy psychologists who declared cancer was caused by personality rather than smoking, and in Elon Musk—is poisonous thinking that does not lead people into the best places.