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I've always said there's a difference between being dumb and being ignorant. Dumb can't; ignorant can if someone will teach it. The same is true when it comes to stupidity and a lack of common sense. If a person displays stupidity, they are making a decision based on 'dumbness'. If they display a lack of common sense, they make decisions based on 'ignorance'.

The difference is one of degree and one of opportunity. These two ideas sit on a continuum, one at one side and one at the other. Stupidity, at the far end has opportunity to know better, to ask for wise council, but stupidity says, "I don't need them" and marches on to destruction.

Lack of common sense, on the other end of the continuum, has not had the opportunity to know better. In all probability, this person will learn through his or her mistakes. The stupid person, however, seldom does. It may seem that common sense is innate, but it is often learned through experience.

How can you tell the difference when you see it? It's not as easy as it seems. The two often look alike to those on the outside looking in, but they are not alike in the heart and motivation of the actor. One blunders on without a thought, while the other blunders because s/he doesn't know any better.

Sometimes you can tell which one you are looking at by the number of repeats it takes for the person to learn from the mistake. One will soon learn some common sense. The other will wander, hopelessly, repeating stupid mistake after stupid mistake, because he or she is too stupid or arrogant to learn that banging your head into a brick wall only hurts your head.

I believe it was Einstein that said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting a different result. That is the difference between common sense and stupidity.
The stupid keeps doing the same thing over and over, never realizing that doing the same thing in the same way will bring the same results.

Those lacking common sense, however, may try something a few times in the same way, but soon they realize that way is not working and they adjust to try a different way. They keep making these adjustments until they find the way that works.

When you wonder if a person really is stupid or just lacking in common sense, just watch them for a while. Don't assume stupidity at the start because the two look very much alike in many ways. The difference is in the knowledge base of the person and in how often they have to repeat something to learn from it.

Learn more about this author, Angela S. Young.
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