Stupidity is a very specific cognitive failing. Crudely put, it occurs when you don’t have the right conceptual tools for the job. The result is an inability to make sense of what is happening and a resulting tendency to force phenomena into crude, distorting pigeonholes.
This is easiest to introduce with a tragic case. British high command during the First World War frequently understood trench warfare using concepts and strategies from the cavalry battles of their youth. As one of Field Marshal Douglas Haig’s subordinates later remarked, they thought of the trenches as ‘mobile operations at the halt’: i.e., as fluid battle lines with the simple caveat that nothing in fact budged for years. Unsurprisingly, this did not serve them well in formulating a strategy: they were hampered, beyond the shortage of material resources, by a kind of ‘conceptual obsolescence’, a failure to update their cognitive tools to fit the task in hand. In at least some cases, intelligence actively abets stupidity by allowing pernicious rationalisation.
Stupidity will often arise in cases like this, when an outdated conceptual framework is forced into service, mangling the user’s grip on some new phenomenon. It is important to distinguish this from mere error. We make mistakes for all kinds of reasons. Stupidity is rather one specific and stubborn cause of error. Historically, philosophers have worried a great deal about the irrationality of not taking the available means to achieve goals: Tom wants to get fit, yet his running shoes are quietly gathering dust. The stock solution to Tom’s quandary is simple willpower. Stupidity is very different from this. It is rather a lack of the necessary means, a lack of the necessary intellectual equipment. Combatting it will typically require not brute willpower but the construction of a new way of seeing our self and our world. Such stupidity is perfectly compatible with intelligence: Haig was by any standard a smart man.
Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the author's view on stupidity?
- Comprehending a problem by applying our existing world view is stupidity
- The inability to avoid forcing our current views on a new situation is stupidity
- Pushing our extant solution to fix an alien problem is stupidity
- The novelty of the problem, in relation to our cognitive capacity, is the cause of stupidity
- The inability to comprehend what is happening around us is stupidity
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the author’s idea of stupidity
The passage explains that stupidity is not due to lack of intelligence. Instead, it happens when smart people try to use old solutions or old frameworks for entirely new and unfamiliar problems.
Step 2: Evaluating the options
- Option 1: Incorrect – This is too broad. Simply “comprehending a problem using our worldview” is not stupidity, it becomes stupidity only when mismatched solutions are forced.
- Option 2: Close, but incomplete – It points to the forcing of old views, but the author is more specific: the forcing of extant solutions onto alien problems.
- Option 3: Correct – This directly captures the author’s essence: stupidity is applying old answers to new problems where they don’t fit.
- Option 4: Incorrect – The novelty of a problem itself doesn’t cause stupidity; it is our wrong reaction (misapplying old solutions) that does.
- Option 5: Incorrect – Inability to comprehend is ignorance, not the author’s definition of stupidity.
Step 3: Final Answer
Therefore, the best summary is:
\[ \boxed{\text{Stupidity is pushing our extant solution to fix an alien problem.}} \]
Which of the following statements BEST explains why stupidity for a smart person is “perfectly compatible with intelligence”?
- Intelligence is poorly defined, and is usually a perception, making it compatible with stupidity.
- Intelligence, when perceived through past successes, makes any rationalization of a new phenomenon acceptable.
- Past successes make us believe that we are intelligent and capable of explaining any new phenomenon.
- A new phenomenon creates fear, rushing intelligent people to explain it to put others at ease.
- Intelligent people are scared to admit their lack of knowledge, and therefore, try to explain everything including things they do not understand.
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the context
The passage explains that even smart people can act stupidly. This is not because they lack intelligence, but because intelligence itself can sometimes mislead them. Past achievements reinforce the belief that they can explain anything, even things outside their expertise.
Step 2: Eliminating weaker options
- Option 1 talks about intelligence being poorly defined, but that does not capture the deeper reasoning.
- Option 2 is close, but it emphasizes "any rationalization acceptable" rather than the self-belief driven by past successes.
- Option 4 and 5 focus on fear and denial, but the passage highlights overconfidence from past success, not fear.
Step 3: Why Option 3 is correct
Option (C) directly matches the reasoning — smart people rely on their past victories in understanding problems. This history convinces them that they can explain any new phenomenon, which often leads to stupid mistakes despite intelligence.
Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{Past successes make us believe that we are intelligent and capable of explaining any new phenomenon.}} \]
Based on the passage, which of the following can BEST help a leader avoid stupidity?
- Be ready to discuss with everyone before taking a decision
- Be cautious in taking a decision until the future unfolds
- Being aware that our current answers are only applicable to the current context
- Being aware that we are short of the required resources
- Being aware that we must handle future with a different cognitive tool
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the passage
The passage distinguishes between present knowledge and future uncertainty. It emphasizes that answers or solutions derived today are framed only within the current context.
Step 2: Why other options are incorrect
- Option 1: Merely discussing with everyone does not guarantee wisdom.
- Option 2: Waiting until the future unfolds avoids decisions altogether, which is impractical.
- Option 4: Awareness of resource shortage is important, but it does not directly prevent "stupidity".
- Option 5: Handling future with different tools is a vague statement, less precise than option 3.
Step 3: Why Option (C) is correct
The key idea is humility in decision-making: leaders must recognize that what seems like a solution today may not apply tomorrow. This awareness helps avoid rigid thinking and prevents "stupid" mistakes.
Final Answer:
\[ \boxed{\text{Being aware that our current answers are only applicable to the current context}} \]
Top Questions on Reading Comprehension
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