Bonus Question (50%) Briefly explain the Midwit Meme and why it tends to be true. Apply it to a real life example
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
ChatGPT said:
Correct Answer:
The Midwit Meme illustrates how individuals with low and high intelligence often arrive at similar, simple conclusions, while those with mid-level intelligence tend to overcomplicate or reject these conclusions. It tends to be true because individuals in the mid-range of intelligence often overanalyze or rely heavily on learned frameworks, missing the value in straightforward truths. A real-life example is in nutrition: simple advice like “eat whole foods and exercise” is often followed by beginners and experts alike, while intermediates may chase complex diets and theories, only to return later to the basics.
Explanation (300 words):
The Midwit Meme is a satirical illustration showing a curve of intelligence—from low to high—where the individuals on the low and high ends often reach the same practical or intuitive conclusion, while those in the middle dismiss or complicate that idea. Typically, the person with lower intelligence adopts a basic belief because it’s culturally intuitive or learned by rote. The person with mid-level intelligence questions the belief, scrutinizes it with logic or theory, and often replaces it with a more complex or contrarian idea. Meanwhile, the highly intelligent individual often loops back to a similar belief as the first, but does so through deeper reasoning, pattern recognition, or empirical observation.
This pattern tends to be true because mid-level thinkers often lack the experience or humility to see the value in simplicity. They may be at a stage where theoretical knowledge feels more trustworthy than lived wisdom. High-level thinkers, by contrast, have usually passed through that stage and rediscovered the practical truth behind simple ideas.
A common example is in personal finance. Basic advice such as “live below your means” or “invest in index funds” is often dismissed by intermediate learners who explore high-risk strategies, day trading, or cryptocurrency speculation. Over time, after encountering volatility and losses, many return to the foundational principles. The Midwit Meme captures this loop from simplicity to complexity and back to simplicity—though now grounded in experience rather than ignorance.
