mozzaok wrote on Jun 11
th, 2012 at 1:41pm:
I consider the worst of all are those who put preconceived beliefs, above reason, so deliberately ignore logical arguments when they see them.
The human brain works on autopilot a huge proportion of the time. Think about the first time you learnt to drive or ride a bike, or windsurf. It was almost a case of sensory overload. It isn't until you put part of it on autopilot that you can handle the coordination.
The trick is knowing when to come out of autopilot. People whose lives are very routine and who have to cope with a lot of tasks on "autopilot" are not always used to active thinking. It doesn't mean that they are incapable of active thinking, it's just like a muscle they are not used to using. Of course, after long periods of disuse, the cognitive function of the brain falls into a state analogous to muscular "atrophy". Anybody who doesn't exercise their brain can succomb to this.
I was going to give an true example of a woman in Africa who haggled for a hat. The merchant tried to sell her two for 10 Francs CFA. The woman then got angry that he was trying to cheat her and said that she only wanted one hat. She then agreed on 10 Francs CFA for one hat. I found the original story and it was much funnier, but it was in "African" French.
Anyway-
I think that's more gross ignorance than stupidity, but hey....