Topic 123 Stupid, Smart, or Common Sense?

Topic 123 Stupid, Smart, or Common Sense? 13 August 2021

1. Is doing something stupid that same as being a stupid person? What is an example of each?

2. People have different talents. For example, someone might be stupid with technology but be good at talking. What are you stupid with?

3. Having "common sense" means finding a sensible solution to a problem. For example, if someone is angry and shouting, what is a common sense way to deal with them?

4. Looking back, what are some smart things you have done? What are some stupid things you have done?

5. What are some mistakes in the past which you have learned from? We often say that stupidity is doing the same thing again and again, and getting the same bad result. That is, a stupid person doesn't learn from his mistakes. Adaptability is changing a method when the first method doesn't work. An adaptable person learns from mistakes.

6. What are some examples of being too confident? Stupid people are often more confident than smart people. This is because stupid people can't actually understand they don't know things. [Psychologists call this the Dunning-Kruger effect].

7. In English, to BE SMART means a) to act wisely, or b) to have high intelligence. However, c) to DRESS SMARTLY means to dress well, or in a formal way. When I worked in a TAFE, I noticed that instructors usually dressed smartly. However, when I was a university lecturer, I noticed that lecturers and professors often didn't care much how they looked. Why do yo think there was this difference in dressing between TAFEs and universities? In which other jobs do you have to dress smartly? Why?

8. Why are some leaders, governments and countries so slow to learn from past mistakes? For example, look at how different countries have adapted to Covid.

9. Should smart people be paid a lot more than stupid people? Note that if there is a big wealth difference between rich and poor people, that country will have more crime and sometimes revolution. In every country there are many people who are not very smart. That is often not their fault. Maybe they were born that way.

10. Invent five common sense rules for happy daily living.

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