A guy found a magic lamp and a Genie popped out and offered him infinite wisdom or infinite wealth. He asks for wisdom, the genie grants it and disappears in a puff of smoke. As the smoke clears the guys says “aw crap, I should have took the money”
what?
If he had a choice between being smart or being poor, he would choose to be smart.
Medieval people had the “divine right of kings.” Modern people have the “must be brilliant to be that rich” fallacy.
Does anyone actually choose to be poor if being smart is the other option? Feels like you’d already have to not be very smart to get the choice wrong.
Yes, but I would speculate most cases would involve those in a religious order or something similar.
Even for a religious person, being smart within their company is usually preferred. Priests and the like take great pride in their knowledge of faith and understanding of wisdom. They may take a vow of servitude and condemn themselves to poverty, but they do so with the apparent knowledge they will be rewarded for their sacrifice. That is playing the long game, which takes smarts. “Understanding God’s love” and the required knowledge to be a part of a faith, you know?
People prefer to be smart over poor, when those are the only two options
When I was young, I was poor. But after decades of hard work, I’m not young anymore.
