What an intersting conversation this is.
Reading through the posts another meaning for the word 'überlegen' (as a verb this time) comes to mind .

I grew up with the German language, but was born in Zürich, Switzerland and guess what, not until only a few months ago when studiyng 'Guide Children's behaviour' have I come accross the name of Adler and found all other information on Henry Stein's website - thank you very much! - and now I'm hooked!!

To this 'überlegen ' now- meaning thinking it over, mulling it over - like a layered thought process. Although the German language as you say is so precise, here it comes as a noun and as a verb with different sort of conotations.
But when you do think about it - when you do 'überlegen' this ...I would understand it as the one who has 'Überlegenheit' is the one with the most 'layers' of facts, knowledge, strength, nuances ....well whatever the thing is one is striving for .
And of course if it is a ficticious one it belongs in the realm of wishful thinking, a thinking that has not taken into account all available perspectives. The German people, even the German speaking Swiss, do get this critique (from their otherspeaking countrymen) to have their heads/noses too high and thinking they always know everything better than the others.
It is quite an aggressive/over-confident sort of way to get ahead and I've heard it mention, that the 'arian' race (or their ancestors) had this aggressiveness - needed it -to survive and expand in those mountenous regions in ice age -times.

Something to 'überlegen' nicht wahr....
Rita