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65 reviews for:
The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionise your Thinking and Make Wiser Decisions
David Robson
3.9 AVERAGE
65 reviews for:
The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionise your Thinking and Make Wiser Decisions
David Robson
3.9 AVERAGE
Didn't find this interesting. Not for me...
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The book is very good.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Would you consider yourself intelligent? If so, does that mean you're less likely to make mistakes or less aware of biases?
In a society where intelligence is often linked to professional and financial success, we tend to believe that smart individuals are less prone to errors. However, David Robson, in his compelling book "The Intelligence Trap," argues that higher education and expertise can actually magnify our errors while blinding us to our biases.
How did a brilliant physics professor get duped into smuggling 2kg of cocaine across the Argentinian border? Why do doctors misdiagnose 10 to 15% of their patients? What leads Nobel Prize winners to spread fake news?
These are some of the questions Mr. Robson tackles in his book.
The idea of intelligence still baffles me. We usually measure general intelligence with tests like IQ, SATs, and GREs. If you score high enough, you're seen as smart. We often link intelligence with being logical. But sometimes, even smart people make silly mistakes, and we wonder, "I thought they were smart?"
Robson argues that there are other ways of reasoning and learning that are equally deserving our attention to make us more rounded and wiser thinkers that do not correlate to the traditional general intelligence.
He advocates the concept of evidence-based wisdom which means making decisions and beliefs based on facts rather than just gut feelings or what we already think. It's about carefully looking at information, thinking about different points of view, and being willing to change our minds if we learn something new. This way of thinking helps us avoid mistakes like only noticing things that agree with what we already believe or being too sure of ourselves, so we can make smarter choices.
When we become experts in something or know a lot about a particular subject, we tend to become close-minded and intellectually arrogant. Robson explains that smart and educated people are less inclined to learn from their mistakes or listen to others' advice. Even when they make mistakes, they can come up with fancy arguments to defend themselves, which makes them more stubborn in their beliefs. What's worse, they seem to have a larger "bias blind spot," meaning they struggle to see the flaws in their own reasoning.
So what to do? Intelligent or not, we have to deliberately pursue alternative viewpoints and evidence that may question our opinions and deliberately expose ourselves to examples of flawed arguments. Above all, we have to accept the limits of our judgment and knowledge and being receptive and open-minded of the possibility of being wrong.
Intellectual humility allows individuals to approach knowledge and decision-making with a sense of humility and openness, rather than arrogance or close-mindedness.
[You may want to check my Substack page, The Vagabond Reader. Thank you so much.]
In a society where intelligence is often linked to professional and financial success, we tend to believe that smart individuals are less prone to errors. However, David Robson, in his compelling book "The Intelligence Trap," argues that higher education and expertise can actually magnify our errors while blinding us to our biases.
How did a brilliant physics professor get duped into smuggling 2kg of cocaine across the Argentinian border? Why do doctors misdiagnose 10 to 15% of their patients? What leads Nobel Prize winners to spread fake news?
These are some of the questions Mr. Robson tackles in his book.
The idea of intelligence still baffles me. We usually measure general intelligence with tests like IQ, SATs, and GREs. If you score high enough, you're seen as smart. We often link intelligence with being logical. But sometimes, even smart people make silly mistakes, and we wonder, "I thought they were smart?"
Robson argues that there are other ways of reasoning and learning that are equally deserving our attention to make us more rounded and wiser thinkers that do not correlate to the traditional general intelligence.
He advocates the concept of evidence-based wisdom which means making decisions and beliefs based on facts rather than just gut feelings or what we already think. It's about carefully looking at information, thinking about different points of view, and being willing to change our minds if we learn something new. This way of thinking helps us avoid mistakes like only noticing things that agree with what we already believe or being too sure of ourselves, so we can make smarter choices.
When we become experts in something or know a lot about a particular subject, we tend to become close-minded and intellectually arrogant. Robson explains that smart and educated people are less inclined to learn from their mistakes or listen to others' advice. Even when they make mistakes, they can come up with fancy arguments to defend themselves, which makes them more stubborn in their beliefs. What's worse, they seem to have a larger "bias blind spot," meaning they struggle to see the flaws in their own reasoning.
So what to do? Intelligent or not, we have to deliberately pursue alternative viewpoints and evidence that may question our opinions and deliberately expose ourselves to examples of flawed arguments. Above all, we have to accept the limits of our judgment and knowledge and being receptive and open-minded of the possibility of being wrong.
Intellectual humility allows individuals to approach knowledge and decision-making with a sense of humility and openness, rather than arrogance or close-mindedness.
[You may want to check my Substack page, The Vagabond Reader. Thank you so much.]
The great nineteenth-century psychologist William James reportedly said that ‘a great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices’. The Intelligence Trap is written for anyone, like me, who wants to escape that mistake – a user’s guide to both the science, and art, of wisdom. The author manages to gather some incredible anecdotes ranging from individuals to organisation who have fallen to intelligence trap. I personally consider this book a great self help tool. The twenty-first century presents complex problems that require a wiser way of reasoning, one that recognises our current limitations, tolerates ambiguity and uncertainty, balances multiple perspectives, and bridges diverse areas of expertise. And it is becoming increasingly clear that we need more people who embody those qualities.
I have also made the notes of this book visible to all those who are interested. Trust me it will be incredibly helpful for any human who want to improve themselves.
I have also made the notes of this book visible to all those who are interested. Trust me it will be incredibly helpful for any human who want to improve themselves.
medium-paced
Enlightening, balanced, and fully informative! David Robson segmented the book into different sections, each elaborating upon the ‘Intelligence Trap’ and IQ at various levels, from theoretical to group functioning and applications for solutions. It was a great outline for providing a strong breadth of understanding throughout the book, and allowing the reader to develop a stronger understanding of the subject because of the structuring. I also really appreciated the use of real-life application as examples of how intelligence-based biases can impact our behaviour, and the consequences of this. Plus, it helped provide support to the theory, making for an even more interesting read! Regardless of if you’re into IQ, or psychology, or anything along these lines, Robson struck a healthy balance of explanation that would appeal for a range of people’s expertise levels. Would certainly recommend.
As the title suggests, this book is about why smart people are susceptible to cognitive errors and about strategies that anyone can implement to make better decisions and avoid intellectual biases.
The basic message of the book is that high level of general intelligence is not synonymous with bias-free thinking, and while all people across the intelligence spectrum are prone to flawed thinking, intelligent and educated people are even more so because they seem to have bigger "bias blind spot", "dysrationalia", and other types of biases.
The book is divided into 4 parts. In part 1, the author explores the limitations surrounding our understanding of intelligence and describes 3 types of intelligence; practical, analytic and creative. The author then explains various intellectual biases such as dysrationalia, motivated reasoning, and the curse of knowledge and expertise. In part 2, the author introduces "evidence-based wisdom", how to cultivate it, and strategies to avoid falling into the intelligence trap, such as "intellectual humility" and "cognitive reflection". Part 3 delves into the science of learning and memory, the effects of curiosity and a growth mindset on learning, and offers strategies for deep learning. In part 4, the author discusses group intelligence and factors that affect group decision-making. The book finishes with a useful and accessible appendix of taxonomies of stupidity and wisdom that summarises the cognitive errors and evidence-based wisdom discussed in the book.
The writing style blends story-telling and anecdotes with evidence and research. However, I felt the book (part 4, in particular) was long-winded and slightly loosely written, meaning ideas and discussions were not held tightly together and related descriptions were spread across many chapters.
Overall though, the book is worth reading. It is closely related to the book "Thinking Fast and Slow", but I'd consider "The Intelligence Trap" as a lighter and faster read.
The basic message of the book is that high level of general intelligence is not synonymous with bias-free thinking, and while all people across the intelligence spectrum are prone to flawed thinking, intelligent and educated people are even more so because they seem to have bigger "bias blind spot", "dysrationalia", and other types of biases.
The book is divided into 4 parts. In part 1, the author explores the limitations surrounding our understanding of intelligence and describes 3 types of intelligence; practical, analytic and creative. The author then explains various intellectual biases such as dysrationalia, motivated reasoning, and the curse of knowledge and expertise. In part 2, the author introduces "evidence-based wisdom", how to cultivate it, and strategies to avoid falling into the intelligence trap, such as "intellectual humility" and "cognitive reflection". Part 3 delves into the science of learning and memory, the effects of curiosity and a growth mindset on learning, and offers strategies for deep learning. In part 4, the author discusses group intelligence and factors that affect group decision-making. The book finishes with a useful and accessible appendix of taxonomies of stupidity and wisdom that summarises the cognitive errors and evidence-based wisdom discussed in the book.
The writing style blends story-telling and anecdotes with evidence and research. However, I felt the book (part 4, in particular) was long-winded and slightly loosely written, meaning ideas and discussions were not held tightly together and related descriptions were spread across many chapters.
Overall though, the book is worth reading. It is closely related to the book "Thinking Fast and Slow", but I'd consider "The Intelligence Trap" as a lighter and faster read.
The only issue I had with this book is that I took way too long to finally read it. It's such an amazing book! I've had it for months and forgot about it, but when I found it the other day, I binged it in about a day or two. Robson provides answers to one of the most baffling situations we encounter on a regular basis, "How can intelligent people be so dumb?" Robson dives into the cognitive psychology of why this happens, and I also loved the chapter about how IQ isn't necessarily a great measuring tool for intelligence.
This book is extremely relevant as I finish it in 2020 as we head into 2021. This year, we've seen countless doctors deny covid science. We see conspiracy theorists like QAnon point to doctors and other academics who help push their wild theories. If you're wondering how someone can get a doctorate and still be completely irrational in some aspects, this book is for you. One of the biggest fallacies we run into is the appeal to authority, and this book provides a great argument for why we sometimes have to be skeptical of the ones we deem as "intelligent".
This book is extremely relevant as I finish it in 2020 as we head into 2021. This year, we've seen countless doctors deny covid science. We see conspiracy theorists like QAnon point to doctors and other academics who help push their wild theories. If you're wondering how someone can get a doctorate and still be completely irrational in some aspects, this book is for you. One of the biggest fallacies we run into is the appeal to authority, and this book provides a great argument for why we sometimes have to be skeptical of the ones we deem as "intelligent".
informative
slow-paced
Having read Science Fictions, I appreciate how the author mentions replicated studies and cautions the reader about those he references, but are still being improved upon.