Intelligence really doesn’t seem like the solution to any of our big problems.

I’ve heard this argument before (and probably made this argument at some point too), and it seems to boil down to thinking that people would agree with me if they would just be a bit smarter and/or more informed.

But I don’t think this is true at all. If it was then smart people would agree, but they don’t.

There is another line of thinking (often seen in science fiction) that suggests all problems are solvable if only you are smart enough. But they are not, some problems simply don’t have a reachable satisfactory solution. There is a reason these science fiction stories often come with a ‘benevolent’ dictator to impose the smart fix on everyone, because taking away free will is the only way to solve some of the hardest problems.

I think there is a strong argument for emotional intelligence, worldliness, and empathy though.