In this episode of "No Stupid Questions," Angela Duckworth and Stephen Dubner explore the question of whether checklists make people stupid, inspired by a listener's concern that process-heavy workplaces stifle critical thinking. They discuss Atul Gawande's "Checklist Manifesto" and the benefits of checklists in complex but straightforward tasks like surgery and flying, where accuracy is crucial. However, they also acknowledge the limitations of checklists in creative or judgment-based activities, contrasting them with Nordstrom's customer service philosophy of "use your judgment." The conversation extends to the broader search for "magic bullets" in business and life, emphasizing that checklists are just one tool among many. They further discuss the challenges of motivating people to use checklists, particularly teenagers, and touch upon the distinction between mental and externalized checklists. The episode concludes with a debate on the merits of city living, particularly New York, in light of the pandemic-driven exodus to the suburbs, weighing the advantages of propinquity against the downsides of urban density.
