[Kye]

Smarter in the thing they know about, sure. Most people have some area where they're above average. Software engineers just happen to have that area intersect with a marketable and, recently, socially valued skill.

>> "if you like things like safe aviation."

Safety is less about intelligence and more about diligence. Brilliant doctors still balk at checklists even though they save lives. Most engineering disasters happen because someone skipped a safety measure.

[User23]

The useful checklist is itself a product of higher than average intelligence. It’s entirely possible to diligently follow a useless or even harmful process.

[Kye]

The useful checklist is a product of experience. Items come from death and disaster caused by not doing what the item says to do.