Maybe the title is slightly misleading. Of course, the odds are, there will always be someone who is smarter than you in some capacity or another. I’m also avoiding the broadness of the word “smart,” which of course is very hard to define.

That being said, learning how to think on a higher level than your peers is achievable. Using the word, for all intents and purposes, to become “smarter” than the vast majority of the population is not as difficult a feat as it might sound.

Here are 3 simple tasks that will allow you to become smarter than the vast majority of the population:

1. Study Philosophy

This first task is also the most imperative. Philosophy, a study of logics, is a subject that permeates all other subjects. Its lessons are often so universal, it’s not improbable that an alien race is currently professing some of the exact same material.

The problem with most people is that they do not know how to think. There is a major difference in knowing how to think, compared to knowing what to think. Knowing what to think is easy. It requires no real mental exertion, only the regurgitation of what others have said before. Knowing how to think requires more effort.
The truth is that you can become smarter than the vast majority of people around you by properly learning what most others have never learned: valid logical thought. Many students go throughout their entire school careers without once stepping into a philosophy classroom, and those who have taken a philosophy class, will probably only scratch the surface.

A continual study of philosophy will allow you to recognize that the truths of the world are not up to you. Whether or not the world is round is not up to you, it is round, and you can only accept this. There is no place for opinions in philosophy; philosophy acts to dispel the world from opinions. You should do the same; attempt to dispel yourself of opinions, and only focus on the truths of reality.

But where to begin? If you’re completely knew to philosophy, you might want to spend time learning the basics. Study the logical fallacies, all of them. The thought processes that come in tandem with such study will allow you to analyze the world in a much clearer way than most everyone else.

After that, the next step is to simply ask a meaningful, but simple question. I think you'll find that the simpler the question, the deeper the rabbit hole goes. What are numbers? Do we even exist? Is there a God? Why is there something rather than nothing? Research everything you can about that philosophical question and compare the arguments.

An intense study into philosophy will give you abilities that others don’t seem to possess. You’ll be able to see past the emotional jargon of politicians, and decipher political language. This is actually a decent exercise for newcomers to philosophy. Listen to a political speech, and view the speech as if it were an argument. What is this politician actually saying? What facts do they bring to the table? What valid logical statements do they make? Count how many logical fallacies they use. You’ll find that most say very little past “I will make everything great.”

2. “Everything Popular is Wrong” (Or At Least Almost Everything)

That’s actually an Oscar Wilde quote, omitting the “almost everything.”
“People go, do you really think the vast majority of the world is wrong? Well yes, I don’t know how to say that nicely, but yes.” -Tim Minchin

One of the strongest human intuitions is the social proof phenomenon. People are so easily susceptible to the pressure of their peers, and most find it very hard to disregard this pressure. This same instinct applies to our beliefs; you have the freedom of thought, only sofar as you can ignore the boundaries of what’s socially acceptable to believe.

Lies and myths are just as easily spread throughout society as the truths are, and an investigation into the mainstream beliefs of virtually all subjects will reflect this. Mainstream economists believe that Godzilla destroying major cities would be beneficial to the economy. Mainstream financial advisers believe that "animal spirits" can swing the market into upward or downward trends. As sophisticated as we humans are today, we are not robots, and we are just as easily persuaded to believing incorrect things as we are correct things.

Most facts today were originally seen as unpopular opinions. Most famous historical academics are only famous because they spoke about topics outside the sphere of conventional wisdom. Just as the heretics who believed that the Earth revolved around the Sun were eventually proven right, it's just as possible that many modern heretical thoughts will eventually be proven correct.

If you want to truly be smarter than everyone else, you must learn to suspect all popular beliefs, for these beliefs are the most risky. Odds are that it’s the unpopular beliefs that will eventually be proven the correct ones. However, please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not necessarily suggesting that you should go join a UFO cult just yet. I’m only suggesting that you should be the most critical of the beliefs that are the most accepted and well-known. A belief that’s held by the majority does not mean it’s the correct belief. Combined individual ignorance does not equal collective wisdom.

3. Debate & Learn to Love Being Wrong

I can attribute a very large portion of all that I know today to debating those who were much smarter than me. In my opinion, debate is the best way to learn any subject. Debate gives you a real incentive to learn information, that being the joy of being right, and the heaviness of being wrong. It’s a real challenge, a battle of wits, and it can feel like training for a sport.

That being said, please heed this warning: don’t ever debate with anyone whom you have a great affection for. You can easily lose the respect of a great friend or loved one through such arguments. I’ve only ever met a few people who truly appreciate the challenge. Most people will, unfortunately, take it personally. There are places where people who actually do appreciate the challenge go to debate. I highly recommend debate.org. Although there are always jokesters within every forum-style website, I can guarantee you that there are many professionals on this website as well. If you’re not prepared, they’ll school you- send you back to the first grade even.

For those looking for a more informal setting should try Reddit. If you go this route, be aware that the subreddit communities often support their own and deny victory to outsiders. So if you wander into r/communism, don't expect upvotes when you start debunking Karl Marx. However, Reddit has ways around this; there are several subreddit communities like r/changemyview that will often appreciate outside opinions. And there's no shortage of people on Reddit who will send you back to the first grade.

But that’s all part of it; debate not only teaches you the subject material, it teaches you how to be wrong. Few people can stomach the feeling of being wrong. People will deny their incorrectness relentlessly, until their brain eventually rewires itself to accept such cognitive dissonance. You must aim to avoid being this person.

Those who understand their faults are more likely to correct them, which is essential to being smart. If you truly want to be smart, you must strive to rid yourself of incorrect beliefs and you will need other people to point out your weaknesses. Learn to appreciate being wrong, and eventually you will reach a point where finding people who can prove you wrong will become a chore in itself.