Are people, on average, completely stupid?

[Zelpa]

I don't like to be one of those wankers that thinks they're smarter than everybody else, but I have met some truly inept people in my time. On the same hand I've met people who I think are stupid at first, but then learn are geniuses at certain topics. I think the main issue is judging people on their personality. Some people act like thugs to fit in with the rest of their friends / society, but are secretly very smart. I personally don't think I'm smart in any sense, I've almost failed school multiple times. On average? I think people aren't stupid, but 'smart' people judge them too soon.

[Axeldeath]

People, on average, are completely average. I agree with you that our collective intelligence carries far more weight than the intelligence of a single genius, 100 men have the power to do far more than Stephen Hawking

[GolfClubNinja]

100 men have the power to do far more than Stephen Hawking

 

Hawking is kind of a bad choice for this analogy for obvious reasons, but your point stands.

[Selfsurprise]

This is a really interesting topic, and you provided a great literary example Im_CIA.

 

I selected the third option. To me as an agnostic/ignostic as well as a generally Fortean informed weirdo, it seemed like the only reasonable option. My subjective measure of intelligence and ignorance is unique to me. It may be tempered by unavoidable cultural and political biases, that I may or may not be aware of, but I subscribe to the idea that a wiser person acknowledges the limits of his or her experience. I consistently find through reading, browsing, listening and watching the world via differing means I'm utterly dumbfounded by the diverse multiplicity and weirdness of collated human experience.

[PriestOfJudas]

The most I've noticed from people so far is that people are not idiots in general. They just do very little research on certain topics they like to talk about. And that sort of disinformation can go a long way.

[Reverend_UshankaCat_]

I don't think the average person is stupid, just imperfect. You'll find something "stupid" in every person.

Sadly, a lot of people who really are fully stupid are also really vocal about it, but just because stupid people scream the loudest, doesn't mean they are a majority.