Contents
- Psychologies: In your essay you criticize a special kind of stupidity, namely the stupidity of smart people. What do you mean by this?
- Psychologies: And what exactly allows you to judge the stupidity of some and the intelligence of others?
- Psychologies: And what lies at its basis, what springs?
- Psychologies: Sincere frankness also seems to you a form of stupidity … Why?
- Psychologies: You also criticize the use of certain set expressions…
- Psychologies: Why?
- Psychologies: So it’s not enough to be educated to become smarter?
- Psychologies: How to make such a «step aside»?
- Psychologies: This ability to doubt everything requires a fair amount of self-confidence.
- Psychologies: You also talk about the importance of being in touch with yourself.
- Psychologies: Do you think that psychoanalysis, which asks such questions, can save you from stupidity?
- Psychologies: In addition to psychoanalysis, what can help us not to fall into «smart stupidity»?
Today, formulaic ideas penetrate everywhere — in our everyday speech, on television, in the realm of art. Without noticing it, we repeat other people’s thoughts from day to day. What can you do to not forget how to think for yourself?
“I owe such a keen interest in the phenomenon of stupidity to my father,” admits Belinda Kannon, “he taught me from an early age to constantly check the value of everything I say, asking myself the question: did I really come to this idea myself or is it just someone else’s?” then other people’s words that I repeat without hesitation or out of conformity? Doing this regularly, you find that very often you are dealing with unfounded, unsupported ideas. This is how the writer explains her interest in the study of such a banal, in fact, shortcoming — stupidity. What does he represent in our era?
Psychologies: In your essay you criticize a special kind of stupidity, namely the stupidity of smart people. What do you mean by this?
Belinda Kannon: This is the stupidity of those who have every opportunity to be smart — those who have access to information, cultural achievements, who have time to think, to read — and they are still not smart. For those who do not have the opportunity to develop their thought, I rather sympathize.
Psychologies: And what exactly allows you to judge the stupidity of some and the intelligence of others?
Belinda Kannon: I want to be understood correctly: I do not judge anyone. I am not discussing individual people, but only types of behavior. In my research, I wanted to understand what are the mechanisms of this very specific kind of stupidity.
Psychologies: And what lies at its basis, what springs?
Belinda Kannon: Two types of such mechanisms can be distinguished: eternal, they are inherent in human nature, and modern, inherent in our era. As an example of the first type, conformism can be called, this is a herd desire to follow the group at all costs. Or laziness, when a person lives without bothering to think … If we talk about what characterizes our era, I would mention a certain “right feeling” — depending on the circumstances, it can be called compassion, empathy or “righteous indignation”. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this feeling itself. Except for one thing, this “right feeling” often precedes reflection: we give to the homeless or donate to tsunami victims, because it’s good and right, period. This allows you to free yourself from a sense of responsibility and not get involved in everyday and long-term battles.
Psychologies: Sincere frankness also seems to you a form of stupidity … Why?
Belinda Kannon: Indeed, one may be surprised: after all, this is a positive quality, what can be reprehensible in it? In fact, it is not directness in itself that is stupid, but its immoral use, which we often see today. In the visual arts, in literature, not to mention television reality shows, we are faced with manifestations of some kind of exceptional narcissism, with the utmost focus on oneself beloved … In general, I think that there is almost nothing that would be stupid in itself. yourself. Rather, certain ways of applying our ideas may be foolish.
Psychologies: You also criticize the use of certain set expressions…
Belinda Kannon: Yes, for example «politically correct». Or “provocative” is a very often repeated word, and not only in the field of contemporary art. It is enough just to pronounce these fashionable words, and that’s it, that’s it, the discussion ends. This is what I call stupid expressions: they turn out to be a hindrance to thought. But I emphasize once again: I am not judging anyone — we all succumb to this from time to time, fall into such stupidity, this is inevitable.
Psychologies: Why?
Belinda Kannon: Because it is more convenient to grab onto ready-made ideas or formulations so as not to waste time thinking. Imagine what would happen if we constantly thought about what we are saying at the very moment when we say something: we could think more! So from time to time we borrow some thoughts or turns of speech that are on hearing, also in order to advance in our reasoning. The danger is that we may draw complex conclusions based on erroneous inputs … Or that we will not try to develop our thought further.
Psychologies: So it’s not enough to be educated to become smarter?
Belinda Kannon: Of course not! Among my friends there are people with a very modest education who, nevertheless, are among the most intelligent. Why? Because they have a fluid intellect, they know how to listen to others and question their own thoughts … I would say that the mind is vigilance, it is the ability to step aside to look at your reasoning from the side and check the thought that just came in our head.
Psychologies: How to make such a «step aside»?
Belinda Kannon: This requires some restlessness of the mind; one should not seek intellectual comfort for oneself. To be able, to use the words of the philosopher Vladimir Janke’le’vitch, «to behave as if nothing in the world were taken for granted.»
Psychologies: This ability to doubt everything requires a fair amount of self-confidence.
Belinda Kannon: It’s true. Consider an example: if you do not understand what the other person is telling you, there are two possibilities. The first is that you do not have the necessary knowledge to understand it. I will not understand the report of an astrophysicist, because it is beyond my knowledge. But if you are dealing with a discussion of a topic that is within the competence of the widest range of people, you have the right to ask yourself: am I being misled? In addition, you need to have enough self-confidence to say: «I’m not that stupid, maybe someone else is wrong.»
Psychologies: You also talk about the importance of being in touch with yourself.
Belinda Kannon: It seems to me that the less people know about themselves, about what they are and what they think, the less they will be ready to fight stupidity. And the deeper we know ourselves, the more we are able to doubt, to ask ourselves questions.
Psychologies: Do you think that psychoanalysis, which asks such questions, can save you from stupidity?
Belinda Kannon: I am an ardent defender of psychoanalysis precisely because it proposes to ask questions about what we think, say, do, create, and question it all. In this respect, psychoanalysis is an excellent school of freedom. And what can resist stupidity, if not the freedom of the mind?
Psychologies: In addition to psychoanalysis, what can help us not to fall into «smart stupidity»?
Belinda Kannon: We will never be able to completely avoid it, but that’s okay: let’s not be afraid to look stupid from time to time! The main thing is to be aware of this and regularly carry out some work, which I would call «self-cleaning». It’s about taking the time to check your thoughts, even if in hindsight: “But what about the reality: the idea that I rely on, the point of view that I so ardently defend — are they really true ? This is an exercise in hygiene for the mind, which allows you to recognize the manifestation of your own stupidity and, having corrected it, live … until the next one is committed. But this is already a lot.