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Is it useful to define ā€œstupidā€ as the level of intelligence that everybody possesses? Iā€™m not saying it isnā€™t - maybe thinking ā€œIā€™m stupid and so is everyone elseā€ really is the appropriate level of humility. But, on the other hand, someone must ultimately make important decisions, so we canā€™t just say ā€œno one is qualifiedā€. With apologies to George Orwell, all people are stupid but some people are less stupid than others. So I think our language should distinguish between the two.

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2 points

Yes Iā€™d say so. I get where youā€™re coming from but I donā€™t think itā€™s an excuse not to make decisions. Quite the opposite in fact.

I think of it like this: if you think youā€™re smart, you expect to make best choice for every decision. So in tough situations, where there is no ā€œrightā€ choice, you beat yourself up about not doing better. If you accept youā€™re stupid, youā€™re willing to settle for the least wrong and accept failiure.

The same goes for interacting with others. Donā€™t expect others to make the best choice, as theyā€™re stupid too, so you might find a better solution. But if you did not find one and they didnā€™t, well, theyā€™re stupid, so of course they did not. Canā€™t blame them really.

Iā€™m no native speaker so perhaps stupid and smart are the wrong words in this context. Perhaps fallible and infallible are better suited.

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