At a 1906 livestock fair, Francis Galton collected nearly 800 guesses of an ox's weight from farmers and casual visitors alike. Individually, many were way off. But the median, 1,207 pounds, was less than 1% from the true weight of 1,198 pounds. As long as guesses are independent, individual errors cancel out.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.