Sexual predators think that if people do not think them a predator then they are not one. Similarly, exceptionalists think that if they are exceptional then they are. The problem is, the facts do not match the reality.

What is primary is the independent reality, not the thoughts. This, I believe, is the problem of most people, including philosophers who do not ask the hard questions about whether the facts – particularly their facts – match reality.

Reality is not theirs. Reality is independent, shared, and common to all.