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You're correct in that you can't make anything idiot proof ... we'll just make better idiots. The AF447 stall is a great example of the highest technology not saving the airplane and all the people on-board. Personally, I think that if we continue to make systems smarter and smarter, we, as a people, will get dumber and dumber.
Panic and fear are more powerful than almost any other force on the human mind. As someone else pointed out, training is a partial answer but even then you are still going to get folks who will freeze no matter despite the best training and screening in the world. The answer is probably a combination of technology AND training. I think all too often folks tend to get in the mindset that technology means you can neglect training and others have this mindset that technology is a crutch that "real pilots" don't need. After helping pick up pieces of shattered pilots who crashed for want of a GPWS or instrument training, I can say that (at least in my book) real pilots use whatever they have at their disposal to try to avoid getting hurt or killed.