The Intelligence Trap
Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes
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4.3 • 11 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A “startling, provocative and potently useful” (James McConnachie, Times UK) examination of the stupid things intelligent people do.
The Intelligence Trap explores cutting-edge ideas in our understanding of intelligence and expertise, including “motivated reasoning,” “meta-forgetfulness,” and “functional stupidity.” David Robson reveals the surprising ways that even the brightest minds and most talented organizations can go wrong?from some of Thomas Edison’s worst ideas to failures at NASA—while offering practical advice to avoid mistakes based on the timeless lessons of Benjamin Franklin, Richard Feynman, and Daniel Kahneman.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Science journalist and debut author Robson builds his entertaining and highly readable pop-psychology study on the perhaps dubious expectation that readers will still assume "intelligence is synonymous with good thinking" and associate good decision-making with prestigious jobs and education. Despite this relatively weak foundation, Robson exceeds expectations in his look at the pitfalls of individual and institutional intelligence, collecting a number of fascinating case studies, among them how Arthur Conan Doyle fell prey to spiritualist hoaxers and how a dysfunctional corporate culture prevented Nokia from taking the edge in the early days of smartphone development. Persuasively arguing that "general intelligence is a crucial ingredient to good thinking but it needs many other complementary traits to truly flourish," Robson effectively summarizes the established and emerging bodies of research that support his argument, starting with the pioneering IQ research of Lewis Terman in the early 20th century, and going on to the more recent field of "evidence-based wisdom," dating back to the 1970s. Occasionally, the writing veers into self-help territory, with briefs for the benefit of traits such as intellectual humility, which feels discordant with Robson's otherwise narrative work. However, he strikes the right balance between illustrative vignettes and accessible translations of complex research, delivering a smart look at intellect and its shortcomings.
