One very real drawback to this process of learning by evaluating new creations is that there are so many mistakes, errors and blunders made along the way. Not only may new ideas or inventions be faulty, but the standards for evaluating them may be faulty (or inappropriate): ergo, the long human tradition of disasters born in absurdity, vice and folly.

In this context, stupidity may be seen as the price paid for the benefits of imagination. The value gained by an occasional good idea by a mind wandering beyond immediacy more than compensates for the many useless, silly or even dangerous notions so common in our mental life. Imagination may thus be viewed as increasing the range of stupidity while providing options for cultural advancement. As mentioned earlier, some maladaptive behavior is simply inefficiency—noise in the system. However, maladaptive behavior may also be indicative of cognitions straying from the narrow confines of the conventional schema. While the initial reaction to any such deviation from the norm may be negative, every so often one such variation will catch on and be appreciated as a positive mutation in the cultural life of a group.

This method of adjustment permits social evolution in gradual steps when novel contributions are minor and perhaps limited to particular circumstances. The major leaps of genius are often cognitively as well as emotionally incomprehensible to the majority in a group. However, they can serve either as beacons for guiding future development (if they are indeed constructive) or as sirens for luring the unwary into fruitless pursuits (if they are nothing but alluring). Naturally, neither adopting novel modes of thought and behavior nor adhering to convention is in itself stupid. That evaluation is circumstantial, arbitrary and subjective.

That process of evaluation, however, is most biased toward conforming to the status quo. Language, tradition and norms all support the familiar and tend to make anything new suspect. Language prejudices judgments by the nature of emotional values associated with certain terms. Traditions and norms further tend to stunt cultural development by way of the neurotic paradox, since the immediate, short-term rewards of conforming to expectation are usually most real and compelling. Accordingly, accepted behavior may be reinforced despite real, long-term detrimental consequences. The condition of a consistent, contented culture or, alternatively, one with balanced development might be ideal but not typically human. This is because the schema automatically favors itself, perverts

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