...the third of these is underconfidence. Michael Vassar regularly accuses me of this sin, which makes him unique among the entire population of the Earth.

Well, that sure is odd. Guess that's why Vassar was promoted. It makes sense now.

Anyway, EY's history doesn't seem to me marked by much underconfidence. For example, his name has recently been used in vain at this silly blog, where they're dredging up all sorts of amusing material that seems to support the opposite conclusion.

Since I know EY has guru status around here, please don't jump down my throat. For the record, I agree with everything he says. I must, for the force of his rationality encircles me and compels me.

Anyway, for those who don't want to follow the link, here's the best part -- a bit of pasted materials in a comment by someone named jimf:

When Ayn [Rand] announced proudly, as she often did, 'I can account for every emotion I have' -- she meant, astonishingly, that the total contents of her subconscious mind were instantly available to her conscious mind, that all of her emotions had resulted from deliberate acts of rational thought, and that she could name the thinking that had led her to each feeling. And she maintained that every human being is able, if he chooses to work at the job of identifying the source of his emotions, ultimately to arrive at the same clarity and control.

Barbara Branden, The Passion of Ayn Rand pp. 193 - 195

From a transhumanist acquaintance I once corresponded with:

Jim, dammit, I really wish you'd start with the assumption that I have a superhuman self-awareness and understanding of ethics, because, dammit, I do.