Good read on the attainment of perfection and accepting our flaws.

11 points
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I prefer to not think about it as stupidity, but vulnerability to manipulation and exploitation.

People are “stupid” because they are misinformed be it through intentional malice, accident or general incompetence.

Identifying people as stupid doesn’t help anything. What needs to be identified is why they are stupid; who has misinformed them, to what end and how can it be combatted.

“If you call someone stupid, there you’ve called them a name. You haven’t actually done anything.” - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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9 points

I think you’re conflating ignorance and stupidity, from my perspective on this subject at least. What you’re describing (to me) is ignorance, while stupidity is somebody rejecting information and choosing to remain ignorant on the subject.

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3 points

I don’t think there’s really a difference.

People outright reject ideas because they are in congruent with what they already believe it isn’t an inability to change their mind just an impasse.

There’s also an element of subjectivity; for example I think that Jordan Peterson is stupid, but there are plenty of people who disagree with me. I believe his stupid because his ideas are in congruent with my established perspective. Jordan Peterson would consider me stupid for being unwilling to adopt his perspective, by your definition.

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3 points

I don’t think there’s really a difference.

Then we’ll never agree on this subject because I believe there is a great deal of difference between stupidity and ignorance.

There’s also an element of subjectivity; for example I think that Jordan Peterson is stupid, but there are plenty of people who disagree with me. I believe his stupid because his ideas are in congruent with my established perspective. Jordan Peterson would consider me stupid for being unwilling to adopt his perspective, by your definition.

Well yeah, just like morals/ethics what is and isn’t stupid is going to be entirely subjective to the individual.

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9 points

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” - Albert Einstein

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2 points

It’s still such a wonderful quote and it’s absolutely true.

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2 points

I came here explicitly to upvote whoever had written this. My gut reaction to the title was an emphatic and very certain “NO.”

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7 points

Looks around at the havoc caused by Brexit

shrugs

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4 points

nods somberly

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Humanities & Cultures

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