"Essential reading for anyone who wants to think more clearly."
¡ª Rolf Dobelli, author of The Art of Thinking Clearly
"Clearly, we need to find new and better ways to teach critical thinking and measure good judgement. Reading David Robson¡¯s book would be a good place to start."
¡ª Emily Bobrow, Wall Street Journal
"Impressively accessible, with engaging storytelling, depth of discussion, and counterintuitive conclusions."
¡ª Aron K. Barbey, Science
"I loved The Intelligence Trap. As fun to read as it is fascinating, it celebrates the power of humility and curiosity. Everyone, especially intelligent people, should read this brilliant and important book."
¡ª Anna Rosling Ronnlund, coauthor of Factfulness
"The Intelligence Trap is a ceaselessly fascinating book written by one of our most consistently superb science writers. Its counterintuitive argument, that intelligence is no inoculation against wrongness, explains so much about the fractious and baffling times in which we live."
¡ª Will Storr, author of Selfie
"The Intelligence Trap is a ceaselessly fascinating book written by one of our most consistently superb science writers. Its counter-intuitive argument, that intelligence is no inoculation against wrongness, explains so much about the fractious and baffling times in which we live."
¡ª Will Storr, author of Selfie
"A fascinating and enjoyable investigation of what intelligence is and isn¡¯t, by one of the most exciting new voices in science writing. This thought-provoking and brilliantly researched guide to achieving true wisdom shows us how to be smarter¡ªand how to protect ourselves from the cleverest fools."
¡ª Gaia Vance, author of Adventures in the Anthropocene
Chapter Page
Introduction 1
Part 1 The downsides of intelligence: How a high IQ, education, and expertise can fuel stupidity
1. The rise and fall of the Termites: What intelligence is-and what it is not 11
2. Entangled arguments: The dangers of "dysrationalia" 38
3. The curse of knowledge: The beauty and fragility of the expert mind 65
Part 2 Escaping the intelligence trap: A toolkit for reasoning and decision making
4. Moral algebra: Toward the science of evidence-based wisdom 89
5. Your emotional compass: The power of self-reflection 115
6. A bullshit detection kit: How to recognize lies and misinformation 138
Part 3 The art of successful learning: How evidence-based wisdom can improve your memory
7. Tortoises and hares: Why smart people fail to learn 167
8. The benefits of eating bitter: East Asian education and the three principles of deep learning 190
Part 4 The folly and wisdom of the crowd: How teams and organizations can avoid the i...ntelligence trap
9. The makings of a "dream team": How to build a supergroup 215
10. Stupidity spreading like wildfire: Why disasters occur-and how to stop them 238
Epilogue 261
Appendix: Taxonomies of Stupidity and Wisdom 265
Notes 271
Acknowledgments 311
Illustration Credits 313
Index 315