The Intelligence Trap
Sophisticated
Intelligent
Insightful

The Intelligence Trap Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes

David Robson2019
"As a rule, I have found that the greater brain a man has, and the better he is educated, the easier it has been to mystify him" (Harry Houdini to Arthur Conan Doyle). Smart people are not only just as prone to making mistakes as everyone else-- they may be even more susceptible to them. This is the "intelligence trap," the subject of David Robson's fascinating and provocative book.The Intelligence Trap explores cutting-edge ideas in our understanding of intelligence and expertise, including "strategic ignorance," "meta- forgetfulness," and "functional stupidity." Robson reveals the surprising ways that even the brightest minds and most talented organizations can go wrong--from some of Thomas Edison's worst ideas to failures at NASA, Nokia, and the FBI. And he offers practical advice to avoid mistakes based on the timeless lessons of Benjamin Franklin, Richard Feynman, and Daniel Kahneman.
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Reviews

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Lauren@boandr
4.5 stars
Jan 26, 2022

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.

+5
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James Thorburn@colabeard
3 stars
May 4, 2025
Photo of Aytekin Şahin
Aytekin Şahin@mankurt
5 stars
Mar 10, 2022
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Amrith Harijayanthan@amrith
5 stars
Jan 1, 2023
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Xavier Roy@xavierroy
5 stars
Jan 17, 2022
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Hugo Ahlberg@hugo
4 stars
Aug 17, 2021

Highlights

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Lauren@boandr

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.

Page 263
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Lauren@boandr

'A lot of the cornerstones, the building blocks that make the expert an expert and allow them to do thir job efficiently and quickly, also entail vulnerabilities: you can't have one without the other’

Page 68

Dr. Itiel Dror, Cognitive Neuroscientist

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Lauren@boandr

[following studies on motivated reasoning] smart people do not apply their superior intelligence fairly, but instead use it 'opportunistically' to promote their own interests and protect the beliefs that are most important to their identities. Intelligence can be a tool for propaganda rather than truth-seeking.

Page 55

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