# A smart person makes smart choices individually, but two (or more) smart people make stupid choices **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098 "2010-11-01T16:37:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/21 "2010-11-01T19:32:25Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > This author argues just the opposite to the OP’s question: [The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations](http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Crowds-Collective-Economies-Societies/dp/0385503865) I believe that only applies when each individual is allowed to make up their mind independently _prior_ to getting together as a group, at least according to: [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777531&ft=1&f=129777531](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129777531&ft=1&f=129777531) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/22 "2010-11-01T19:50:57Z")
> [@Sanity\_Challenged](#): > > A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. > > - Agent K, Men in Black Came in here to give that quote. One of my all-time favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/23 "2010-11-01T21:15:09Z")
There is also [None of us is as dumb as all of us](http://www.despair.com/meetings.html) ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/24 "2010-11-01T21:37:14Z")
A dozen dumb guys do not add up to one smart one. I’m not even familiar with the concept that two smart guys are worse than one, although I’ve seen a lot of committees who seem to feel they have some sort of collective intelligence that somehow rises above the highest single IQ in the bunch. Not so. Not so. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/25 "2010-11-01T23:35:28Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > A camel is a horse that was designed by a committee. And an elephant is a mouse built to government specifications. 😉 Another quote: A committee is a life form with six or more legs and no brain. –Robert A. Heinlein ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/26 "2010-11-02T01:35:49Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > A camel is a horse that was designed by a committee. That would be an ironical criticism, as the camel is a generally more robust and capable beast of burden and transportation than the domestic _Equus_. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/27 "2010-11-02T02:28:21Z")
One head is better than two? 1+1=.5? Bad ideas are bad ideas no matter how many people it takes to think them up. This is perhaps the better factor to consider > [@](#): > > Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/28 "2010-11-02T04:35:14Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > One quote I found was: “A committee is the only form of life with many heads and no brain.” > > I prefer my own formulation: “Intelligence isn’t additive, but stupidity is.” > > AFAIK, this is original with me I often say something similar which AFAIK I originated: “Intelligence is additive. Stupidity is multiplicative.” Sometimes I add “\_\_\_\_\_ is exponential.” Where the blank is filled by what’s appropriate at the time. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/29 "2010-11-02T04:56:22Z")
Perhaps he’s thinking of the well known [risky shift phenomenon](http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/risky_shift.htm) covered under [group polarization](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_polarization) at Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/30 "2010-11-02T05:15:43Z")
I have seen this happen in the sense that two smart people can often also be described as two people who (a) have slightly different agendas and (b) think of themselves as smart and © have egos to match. Consequently if they each individually faced a problem they would come up with an effective solution. However, put together they each come up with a different solution, potentially favouring their own agenda, and the end result may be a kludge necessitated by the need to compromise to avoid deadlock. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/31 "2010-11-02T07:47:03Z")
Why does the last post of a thread always have the idea that I came in to say? It’s called groupthink. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/32 "2010-11-02T08:02:07Z")
This thread is an example of smart people working together, so it will never come up with the right answer. ---
**Author:** ![ragerdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d07c76/32.png) [@ragerdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ragerdude)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098/33 "2010-11-02T11:33:03Z")
[Diffusion of Responsibility](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_responsibility) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-smart-person-makes-smart-choices-individually-but-two-or-more-smart-people-make-stupid-choices/559098.md?page=1)