Operational Grandiosity: Performance, Authority, and the Burden of Exceptional Claims
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between extreme self-assertion and empirical performance through what is termed the Data-Backed Grandiosity Effect. By analyzing figures such as Muhammad Ali and Jesus Christ, the paper challenges the assumption that humility is the default virtue of excellence. Instead, it argues that when extraordinary claims are paired with sustained validation, they function as instruments of epistemic pressure rather than arrogance.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Epistemology
Ethics
and Metaphysics
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
Philosophical Thought and Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 27 January 2026
- Document type
- Preprint