It's a double whammy on "smart" people, actually. They are usually conditioned by their "academic success" that they are only allowed to have "smart" ideas. So

It's a double whammy on "smart" people, actually. They are usually conditioned by their "academic success" that they are only allowed to have "smart" ideas. So "smart" people tend to play it real, real safe - they don't want to destroy the illusion they are "smart" either in themselves or (worst of all) their peers. A necessary prerequisite to wander off the beaten path is to have lots of "dumb" ideas as well, some of which will turn out not so dumb after all. Personally I was quickly disabused of the notion that I'm "smart" after I spent 3 years working in a research lab alongside some _real_ genius quality folks. I was also able to discern their weakness that I allude to above. People who are genuinely smart yet not afraid to try dumb things are unstoppable, and I'd say that the latter is more important than the former, as long as you're willing to put in the extra work and are learning something from your mistakes. Yet it's also not "socially acceptable", so we get what we get - best minds of our generation playing it safe instead of going where no one has gone before, and worse - shitting on the people who do from the height of their ivory tower.