I found this video really interesting:
One point it made was that human stupidity is caused by people being certain they have all the answers. Believing they are right.
I can absolutely attest to that. The most ridiculous mistakes I've made in life have been when I was so sure I knew what I was doing that I didn't bother to double check. I've literally travelled to the wrong railway station before because I was so sure that that was where I was going! Twice actually! That's even worse- I didn't even learn the hard way. Measuring and cutting things is the big one for me. Repeated mistakes there. 'Measure twice, cut once.' Very good advice.
Obviously, they are refering to broader issues too. Not just those that have right and wrong answers. That's where I'm on thin ice a lot of the time because I'm too lazy/ disinterested to be well informed about a lot of things. So- I guess I do have opinions on things but, it's unwise to argue them really forcefully because the foundations they are built on are so shaky. I find myself in hot water there too when someone clever and well informed comes along.
Another interesting thing they argued was that stupid people do more harm in this world than evil people. I think part of their reasoning is that there are so many stupid people in the world! I expect I make up one of the masses... I'm not entirely sold though. I think the smaller number of evil people in the world are good at getting the larger number of stupid people to do their bidding. Without the evil people, would the stupid people act so stupidly?
Thoughts?
One point it made was that human stupidity is caused by people being certain they have all the answers. Believing they are right.
I can absolutely attest to that. The most ridiculous mistakes I've made in life have been when I was so sure I knew what I was doing that I didn't bother to double check. I've literally travelled to the wrong railway station before because I was so sure that that was where I was going! Twice actually! That's even worse- I didn't even learn the hard way. Measuring and cutting things is the big one for me. Repeated mistakes there. 'Measure twice, cut once.' Very good advice.
Obviously, they are refering to broader issues too. Not just those that have right and wrong answers. That's where I'm on thin ice a lot of the time because I'm too lazy/ disinterested to be well informed about a lot of things. So- I guess I do have opinions on things but, it's unwise to argue them really forcefully because the foundations they are built on are so shaky. I find myself in hot water there too when someone clever and well informed comes along.
Another interesting thing they argued was that stupid people do more harm in this world than evil people. I think part of their reasoning is that there are so many stupid people in the world! I expect I make up one of the masses... I'm not entirely sold though. I think the smaller number of evil people in the world are good at getting the larger number of stupid people to do their bidding. Without the evil people, would the stupid people act so stupidly?
Thoughts?
