Nassim Taleb- whose surname reminds us he's a student- remarked recently: "The main purpose of religion, is not to affirm that there is a God, but to prevent humans from thinking they are Gods. Likewise the purpose of a modern king is not to rule, but to prevent politicians & office climbers from thinking that they are kings."
Worth thinking about perhaps. One could also consider the idea that 'you can only learn from a real teacher, so find that teacher first' is a rather good way of ensuring that people remain open and resist the inevitable blindness that comes with knowing a little about something. What might look like a goal may in fact be functioning as climate control, the process being the 'end'...which allows other 'ends' to come into view