Can a brilliant person be plain stupid?

Answer 1

My mother used to say, "Don't be so smart that your dumb". Growing I realized there is some truth to that. Some people get so stuck in the logical and practical reasoning pattern that they can't think plainly without......over-thinking! So yes, I believe a brilliant person can be PLAIN stupid. LOL! Am I over analyzing the question?

Answer 2

No, a brilliant person is a brilliant person, a stupid one is stupid, saying they are both is not possible. Now if you mean, can a brilliant person be stupid sometimes, then the answer is yes, all people are stupid in some way, if they werent then we would all be geniuses and be perfect because we would make no bad choices and would pick the correct logical choice in everything we did, everything we said, etc. Idiot savants arent so idiot if they can do such outstanding things that very few people can do. Now who's the idiot, the "idiot" savants who can memorize and recite thousands of numbers in order and do amazing mathematical computations, or the people that believe this person is an idiot therefore labeling them idiot savant because of their difference. The truth is that the majority of people have an average IQ, and those who often have higher IQ's are seen as idiots because they can hardly be understood by the average person. Is average brilliant, or is brilliant difference.

Answer 3

its not even about street smarts. being brilliant "about" something doesn't mean u know everything. thats the problem; if ur smart everyone expects u to have all the answers. u dont. u can be plain stupid about basic things like what to say to make somebody feel better. look at aspergers.

the underlying problem is that intelligence is either a misnomer or needs to be redefined. the old "book smarts vs. street smarts" that we learned in school needs to go in the garbage for starters. when was that coined anyway? 1935? today's average person knows computer crap top to bottom. that's not street smarts book smarts or common sense. the old model is garbage.

Answer 4

Well, since we have not yet defined what "smart" or "intelligence" means, this question is difficult. this paradox is possible in my opinion because there are "disorders" ( I hate that word) like asperger's which can produce very very brilliant people, but they lack major social skills so they come off awkward and strange, and maybe perceived as being "plain stupid" as you say. When in reality they would probably outperform most people on intelligence tests, as long as they aren't asked how to tell if someone is happy/sad, etc. In fact, many famous people in history were thought to have Aspergers such as Albert Einstein, and today it is suspected that Bill Gates may have it.

Answer 5

It's a difference in book smarts and common sense or wit.

Some people have one or the other and a very select few have both (or all 3 if you count the last two separately).

A person could know a book inside and out but when it comes time to sit down and do the thing the book suggests, they don't always know quite how to go about it, even though they've memorized all the textbook knowledge to date.

Answer 6

i think what you're asking is if somebody with a genuis or near genuis IQ can lack common sense or be totally clueless in other areas? the answer is yes. Some of the smartest academics in the world have lacked common sense. And many people i've known at school that were academically smart were utterly clueless as how to interact socially or with common sense.

Answer 7

yah sometimes they do. Specially if some occasions call for a plain emphathy or understanding. Sometimes brilliant people see the logical side of it situations, they miss how it is to be of help to the person needing a support. They might miss when to use a balanced heart and mind, or just the mind without the heart..

Answer 8

A brilliant person cannot be stupid, but he can definitely be foolish and lack common sense. Also he can be too prideful to listen to the advice of anybody else.

STUPID adj., -er, -est.
Slow to learn or understand; obtuse. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; : a stupid mistake


To see how stupid you are, take the stupid test:

http://quizrocket.com/dumb-test?gatherer_id=100332&gclid=COu8ouLil5ACFRpdagodgFyl8g

Answer 9

There are only brilliant persons for stupid ignorants listening to them -

Answer 10

There is no bigger pain in the *** to deal with than some one who thinks they have a high IQ or a masters degree so they don't have to listen to any one else! Poor social skills and arrogance almost guarantee that they are going to screw up anything that takes more than one person to accomplish.
The red flags I look for are contempt for supervisors and coworkers. This is often because they feel they have a high IQ or a degree so they should be in charge no matter how long they have been on the job. It irks them that they have to follow instructions from people they consider inferior to them. Another red flag for me is poor manners....they will talk over you and interrupt because they feel that only their opinion matters.
I am sometimes on hiring boards at my job and I have learned to size people like this very quickly , and they never get my vote. My rule of thumb is..if they have to tell you how smart they are they aren't worth worth hiring, if they let there work speak for itself they will probably be OK. You just can't work with some one who thinks that they are so great that they should frame their own turds!