The Intelligence Trap
by David Robson · first published 2019
3mentions
3recommended by
3HN commenters
2019–2025first – last mentioned
100% recommend
"An eye-opening examination of the stupid things smart people do ; and how to cultivate skills to protect ourselves from error" ; From book jacket. Smart people are not only just as prone to making mistakes as everyone else, they may be even more susceptible to them. Robson shows how even the brightest minds and most talented organizations can go wrong. He also explores cutting-edge ideas in our understanding of intelligence and expertise, including "strategic ignorance," "meta-forgetfulness," and "functional stupidity." ; adapted from jacket
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
…seems based on some questionable assumptions. IQ is not the ultimate metric of intelligence and may at best measure only one facet of intelligence. On a related note, I recommend David Robson’s book The Intelligence Trap.
on “People with unusually high IQ, why are you still unsuccessful?” ↗…written in excellent faith after some reflection. While i am unable to weigh in on the issue at hand I would offer a few cautionary scraps about luminaries of a field being able to accept it's wrong. The Intelligence Trap[1] is an excellent book that among other things explains how being very clever can make it harder to get at the truth. Formidable intellects can patch any holes that appear in their world view by constructing…
on “The Argument Against Quantum Computers and the Quantum Laws of Nature [pdf]” ↗I highly recommend The Intelligence Trap by David Robson, especially the section about our emotional compass. He cites some great research by Damasio and Feldman-Barrett. There's also a great book called The Nature of the Beast that shares evidence…
on “Why We Spiral” ↗