Topic: Why Do Smart People Do Stupid Things?

ABOUT ADELAIDE INTERESTING TOPICS GROUP ONLINE

For the Google Meet ONLINE version of this meetup, click “going” (not just “interested”) and you should see a link. If not, mail me at thormay@yahoo.com and I will send you a link.

For the LIVE version of this meetup, VENUE: The Hub (entrance level), Adelaide University, every second Friday afternoon from 5 to 6:30 pm. (The Hub is open to the public until 7pm weekdays).

FIND US: Look for a furry animal toy on the table in The Hub, Adelaide University. The Hub is about 100 metres inside the main university entrance (next to the Art Gallery), on the right hand side, off North Terrace.

Note: We will probably be at an inside table to the right of The Hub entrance. If the entrance level tables at The Hub are busy, we may have to hunt for a table. If you can’t see us, ring Thor on 0479 154 831.

Topics: Each time there is a different topic with 10 talking points to help with ideas. It’s not a lecture, it’s a discussion.

For details on each topic see the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/497784706090301. [On alternate Fridays there is also a live conversation group pitched to people who speak English as a second language : see https://www.facebook.com/groups/1678127882281980 ]

The Organizer: Thor May, thormay@yahoo.com; https://independent.academia.edu/ThoroldThorMay

Thor does this as an interest project. He is happy for people to disagree with his views. He is not posing as an expert on the topics. Since 1976 Thor has taught English Language and Linguistics to adults in 7 countries. He has had over 40 jobs, from dockyard labourer to university lecturer. His PhD is on barriers to teaching productivity. His hobbies are exploring ideas, keeping fit and hopelessly trying to learn some Mandarin Chinese.

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TOPIC: WHY DO SMART PEOPLE DO STUPID THINGS?

Recommended viewing: Sprouts (2022) [4.5m views] “Bonhoeffer‘s Theory of Stupidity” @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww47bR86wSc [6 minutes]

Discussion Points:

1. What, in your view, can make an idea stupid, or at least seem stupid?

2. We have probably all believed some stupid things in the past, maybe in the present, certainly in the future. Are you brave enough to offer some personal examples of this?

3. Bonhoeffer‘s theory of stupidity concluded that socially driven mass movements are led and driven by people of high intelligence who use their brain power to defend dogma with elaborate arguments. They don’t “step outside the box” and can’t be argued with. Hitler’s takeover of Germany’s elite is an example. What are some other examples? Can you critique this idea?

4. Both individuals and enterprises can spend huge amounts of time and money on a project which seems to be failing. They might be very smart people, but the sunk cost is so high that they feel unable to walk away from it. Examples? At what point does sunk cost lead to stupidity?

5. How can power and/or money cloud the judgement of otherwise smart people? Examples?

6. When can ambition lead you astray? Examples?

7. People with a high sense of duty and honour might be very smart indeed. Think of the best military personnel. Yet they may be drawn into disastrous conflicts (perhaps led by politicians). At what point does the balance between duty and failure tip to stupidity? Examples?

8. Young adults, their hormones buzzing, and regardless of intelligence, might be drawn into relationships that have no future. For example a couple might have little in common except sex. After all ,half of marriages fail. At what point does it become stupid to continue a relationship?

9. Is it stupid to invest the price of a house on a university degree? Everything you might ever want to learn is online free, or at little cost. Personal AI tutoring can often do a better job of teaching than a lecture. Micro credentials are becoming widely accepted …

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Extra Viewing and Reading

Sprouts (2022) [4.5m views] “Bonhoeffer‘s Theory of Stupidity” @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww47bR86wSc [6 minutes]

Thoughty2 (18 May 2019) “The Truth Why Stupid People Think They’re Smart” @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFL5NoM9GVE [TM: good short video]

Tristan and the Classics (26 January 2026) “WHY SMART PEOPLE STAY SHALLOW (The Illusion of Competence)” @ https://www.youtube.com/@tristanandtheclassics6538 [17 minutes)

After Skool (2025) “Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things” @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Peima-Uw7w

Jensen Huang (28 Jan 2026) “The End of Universities as We Know Them: What AI Is Bringing” @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve8s4m0skag

Thor May (Adelaide, 2015) “The Unexpected Power of Stupidity” @ https://thormay.net/unwiseideas/stupidity.htm

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