Logical thinking?
 

Back in '73, I was studying law and there was a lovely couple who were a husband and wife team, He was a professor of torts, she of wills and trusts.

They'd just acquired a spanking new 280SEL Mercedes, and what a lovely car it was, as breath taking as the dark blue '71 350SE cabrio the contracts professor drove.

One night she came running back into the class room, and told her husband "Come quick, something is wrong with the car, it won't drive properly".

He went out to the parking lot with her and saw the new 280SEL had a flat tire. He said, "Honey. the car has a flat tire."

She said, "No it doesn't". He said, "Yes it does, it's flat"

She again, said: "No, it doesn't"

He said, "The tire is flat, I will show you" He took his wife over to the car and said, "Look at it, the tire is flat"

She wailed, "HOW COULD IT HAVE A FLAT TIRE? IT'S A NEW car!!!"

True story, I swear.

...don't we love those women ...? I think it's sweet, female logic...

Another true: I met a teacher once who told me this story (a blonde). This was in Midland Texas. She went to a PTA meeting one night. She came out after the meeting and got in the car, started it, but it would not move, forward or back. She called her father who lived nearby and described the problem. He was thinking it must be a transmission issue. He came over to bail her out. He drives up and gets out of the car. He says something like "I think I know what the problem is" She asked "how do you know? Is it the transmission?". He said "no, somebody stole all your wheels". The car was sitting on 4 blocks under the axles.

Sounds like someone has been educated above their level of intelligence.

Well, just because I am a highly educated doctor doesn't mean I have any clue as to how the car works nor would I know how to begin diagnostics. I have had Calculus in my kollege days. I was trying to get a 4X4 perpendicular to the wall. I was going to buy a large metal square. Friend who was barely a HS grad told me that I should use the "3-4-5 rule" I told him I never heard of it. After he showed me, I told him he was describing Pythagoras' Theorem. Well, he didn't know what it was called but it worked. I knew what it was but didn't see the application. Go figure. My wife is hopeless with a computer. She has to do everything by rote with little or no understanding if I am lucky or a bunch of misunderstandings if I am unlucky. Yet, she is trusted to diagnose and prescribe toxic drugs. To her, the car is something she turns on and it goes. Yellow fuel light comes on, fill up. Other yellow lights come on, call husband.

We each have areas where we are good at and areas we know nothing about. Nothing to do with educated beyond their level of intelligence.

I think the example matches the description pretty well. Even though you may not be a carpenter, you probably wouldn't try to plumb a wall that was standing in a burned down house would you? You don't have to be a major league umpire to know that if the outfielder drops a fly ball, the batter is not out. Some things are pretty obvious, its called common sense.