I have had a lifelong fascination with stupidity, much of it through self-reflection. Here are some early, scientific terms for levels of stupidity:
- moron: A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or vocational education.
- imbecile: A person of moderate to severe mental retardation having a mental age of from three to seven years and generally being capable of some degree of communication and performance of simple tasks under supervision.
- idiot: A person of profound mental retardation having a mental age below three years and generally being unable to learn connected speech or guard against common dangers.
One of the most important observations that I made early in my professional career was that the smartest people I knew were keenly aware of their own stupidity.
I am a knucklehead. How stupid are you?
Tags: idiot, imbecile, knucklehead, moron, stupidity