>>24635018
NTA
What defines a charlatan is that they care more about appearing knowledgeable on a subject they claim to know about, than they care about the actual subject. Ego rules, not the authentic desire for investigation. They are intellectual clout hunters, and the first and easiest idiot they fool are themselves. And so they are deluded into the belief that they are actually knowledgeable about a subject to support their delusional view of themselves. They are "prophets."
Christopher Langan is a prime example of such a charlatan in the domain that intersects physics with metaphysics, a field that charlatans have found ripe to prosper in because it lies in the endlessly vague domain of generalizations of generalizations. They can hide their bullshit behind webs of words that seem coherent and meaningful to the ignorant, but are obviously laughably inadequate and careless to anyone who has studied such topics.
Langan's infliction is just an extreme example of the egotistical arrogance that inflicts billions. Almost every aspect of our society is geared around valuing social approval (and thus affirmation of one's self-image.) It is absolutely cancerous to a society as it derails the authentic curiosity that is required for learning.
