Why Smart People Do Dumb Things

Psychologist Robert Sternberg [born 1949] concludes that smart people do stupid things whenever four fallacies are committed:

1. Narcissistic Fallacy

They've been so rewarded in their lives, they become very focused and centered around themselves, and they stop caring about outcomes for other people.

2. Omniscience Fallacy

They surround themselves with sycophants. They start to think that they know everything; part of wisdom is knowing what you don't know.

3. Omnipotence Fallacy

They begin to think that they are all powerful. They start acting as though they can do anything they want.

4. Invulnerability Fallacy

They start to think that they are Superman.

When collectively committed, very smart people can start to do incredibly stupid things.

Sternberg, formerly President of the American Psychological Association, developed his insights through, for example, examining "The Smartest Guys in the Room" at Enron and President Bill Clinton's association with Monica Lewinsky.

The Theory Of Everything

Has A Surfer/Snowboarder Who Lives In A Van Rewritten Physics?

A few weeks ago, Lisi posted an academic paper called "An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything" to arxiv.org, a site for scientists that's maintained by Cornell University. The paper outlined his attempt at a theory that would lay out the physics of the universe in one tidy package. For half a century, researchers have sought to reconcile gravity with the three forces that operate inside atoms, where gravity seems to hold no sway. No one—not even Einstein, who spent the later years of his life trying—has been able to explain how these four forces can coexist.
To understand fully Lisi's own stab at the problem requires a grasp of mathematics far beyond all but a handful of people, but the basic premise is that all physical forces and particles can be explained by mapping them onto an incredibly complex geometrical structure known as E8. If Lisi is right, his theory would give an elegant shape to the physics of the cosmos, and E8 would become as significant as E=MC2. This would be a remarkable feat coming from any of the most accomplished physicists alive. Coming from a surf bum, it would be beyond extraordinary.