It’s Good to Be Wrong

“Our tendency to err is also what makes us smart,” says the Boston Globe. Ridding ourselves of the shame associated with being wrong is the first step to becoming more intelligent. “As ashamed as we may feel of our mistakes, they are not a byproduct of all that’s worst about being human. On the contrary: They’re a byproduct of all that’s best about us. We don’t get things wrong because we are uninformed and lazy and stupid and evil,” says Kathryn Schulz, who has written a book on the subject. “We get things wrong because we get things right. The more scientists understand about cognitive functioning, the more it becomes clear that our capacity to err is utterly inextricable from what makes the human brain so swift, adaptable, and intelligent.”