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I told my daughter to bring her umbrella to school today because the weather report called for rain. But it didn't rain. I am, by definition, stupid because I
by hermannj314 15y ago
I told my daughter to bring her umbrella to school today because the weather report called for rain. But it didn't rain. I am, by definition, stupid because I caused a loss for another person and derived no gain.
So it seems odd to have an outcome-based definition of stupidity and not a decision-based definition. Stupidity can't be attributed to a person if it is defined by the random forces existing outside of them.
I, for one, believe stupidity has degrees of intensity and is context-sensitive. I find it shallow when people are labeled as stupid simply because they failed to make an optimal decision in one of thousands of decisions they make everyday, possibly in an area for which they have no concern or for which the cost of finding the optimal decision far outweighed even difference in benefits between the worst and best outcome.
- arethuza 15y ago"labeled as stupid" I strongly dislike the idea of labelling people as stupid, or for that matter smart, as it then implies that everything they do is then destined to be "stupid" or "smart". I am, more than happy to label individual decisions as stupid or smart.
- wturner 15y agoThere's no such thing as a stupid person, just people who are intuitively "smart" in their own interest based on time, place and circumstance. Which is what I think the underline point of the article was, albeit written in a manner with empirical examples to demonstrate. So, Yippy! Let's get stupid..er, I mean smart!
- nazgulnarsil 15y agolook at the reference class of all days that you make such a suggestion. compare the negative utility of "bringing umbrella; no rain" and "didn't bring umbrella; rain".
- georgieporgie 15y agoI am, by definition, stupid because I caused a loss for another person and derived no gain. How did you cause a loss for your daughter, unless you took a sandwich out of her hand and replaced it with an umbrella, leaving her to go hungry?
- hermannj314 15y agoI considered the burden of carrying the umbrella as the cost (loss).
- georgieporgie 15y agoBut it's not terribly cumbersome, right? Even if it is, it builds coordination and muscle strength to carry it around, so it's a net gain. I dunno, I just don't think it fits the requirements of this definition of stupid. :-)
- pessimizer 15y agoI don't think its outcome-based, its expected utility based, which is a present value, not a future one.