It is probably possible for a less intelligent person to learn (to some extent) to distinguish sophistry from solid argument. But it is much easier and comes more naturally for a smart person.
The amount of mental determination required to do a task decreases as the task becomes easier; the amount of ability required to perform a task decreases as the determination to succeed increases.
I suspect that it will be easier to persuade people to take a pill that makes them smarter than to persuade them to spend months or years studying critical thinking.
But it is much easier and comes more naturally for a smart person
No, no, no! It’s harder and more difficult for a smart person to learn this, because they’re so much better at producing clever rationalizations to explain away their cognitive dissonance.
The person it’s easiest to fool is yourself, and the more IQ you have, the better you are at coming up with really convincing stupidity. Recognizing valid reasoning and forcing yourself to adhere to the standards that define it requires something IQ doesn’t measure.
It is probably possible for a less intelligent person to learn (to some extent) to distinguish sophistry from solid argument. But it is much easier and comes more naturally for a smart person.
The amount of mental determination required to do a task decreases as the task becomes easier; the amount of ability required to perform a task decreases as the determination to succeed increases.
I suspect that it will be easier to persuade people to take a pill that makes them smarter than to persuade them to spend months or years studying critical thinking.
No, no, no! It’s harder and more difficult for a smart person to learn this, because they’re so much better at producing clever rationalizations to explain away their cognitive dissonance.
The person it’s easiest to fool is yourself, and the more IQ you have, the better you are at coming up with really convincing stupidity. Recognizing valid reasoning and forcing yourself to adhere to the standards that define it requires something IQ doesn’t measure.