Smart people aren’t less likely to believe wrong things. They’re just better at explaining why they’re right.
I noticed this watching debates about topics I actually know something about. The smartest people in the room often held the most confidently wrong positions. And they had sophisticated reasons for every mistake.
Here’s what I think happens: intelligence is a tool. You can use a hammer to build a house or to break windows. Same hammer.
When smart people want to believe something—because it fits their politics, their self-image, their friend group—they don’t use their intelligence to question the belief. They use it to defend the belief.
They find better evidence. They spot flaws in counterarguments. They build elaborate logical structures around their preferred conclusion.
This is motivated reasoning, and smart people are devastatingly good at it.
It gets worse. Smart people know they’re smart. So when someone disagrees with them, the problem must be that the other person doesn’t understand. Not that they might be wrong.
I do this too. We all do. Intelligence doesn’t make you humble. Often it does the opposite.
The only defense I’ve found is to catch myself asking: “Am I trying to figure out what’s true, or am I trying to prove I’m right?”
Most of the time, I’m doing the second thing. And my brain is happy to help.