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Human race is losing inteligence.


Professor T

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Years ago I used to watch Jay Leno when he would ask people on the street questions out of a 4th grade text book. I remember some of the funnier answers.

Q: How many moons does the Earth have?

A: Eight

Q: What country is north of the US?

A: Europe

The issue is what we do with our minds. People don't have to think. Videos are like TV. The brain is turned off and into a sponge collecting all of the junk without filtering out the nonsense. The internet has made it possible for everyone to publish and junk is published as quickly or even more quickly than sensible material.

Wacko ideas such as crop circles, 2012, remote viewing, telekinesis, morgellons, Bosnian pyramids, Nibiru, expanding Earth, hollow Earth, a third human gender, fluoride scare, anti-vaxing, chemtrails, channeling, etc. use the internet to make people stupid. It's rather interesting to watch people get dumbed down by the claims of the spiral seen over Norway being a sign of destruction. Or maybe it is claims of the existence of crystal or indigo kids with 12 strand DNA or wackos teaching Egyptian gods how to properly meditate as being believable that is a clear sign that some people have some screws loose.

I would like to think that those that are nutty are a vocal minority. Frankly, I have a biased life since I think that others around me are much better educated than I am. I don't mind scrambling to keep up with my associates.

:rolleyes:

Sure it's not just your antipathy about those things speaking?

What really makes people stupid is to accept readymade answers and not to think about things. People dont buy everything they see on the videos, you can prove this to yourself by watching some younameit propaganda of a view you dont believe.

What makes us fools is to think we know it all already. That makes your cup be full, makes you unresponsive to new info bits. And the old ones you have in your cup, might not be all good, not what you make of it at least... we all see reality but what we make of it is another thing, and if we let others tell us what we should make of it instead of thinking that part ourselves... that's what truly makes us stupid. Trying to tell others how things are with the "just because" argument is the epitome of stupidizing others, attempt at least.

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:rolleyes:

Sure it's not just your antipathy about those things speaking?

What really makes people stupid is to accept readymade answers and not to think about things. People dont buy everything they see on the videos, you can prove this to yourself by watching some younameit propaganda of a view you dont believe.

What makes us fools is to think we know it all already. That makes your cup be full, makes you unresponsive to new info bits. And the old ones you have in your cup, might not be all good, not what you make of it at least... we all see reality but what we make of it is another thing, and if we let others tell us what we should make of it instead of thinking that part ourselves... that's what truly makes us stupid. Trying to tell others how things are with the "just because" argument is the epitome of stupidizing others, attempt at least.

Thanks for all of the typical blah-blah-blah from those that have taken the silly ideas hook, line, and sinker.

These vacuous responses to justify in believing in wacko ideas are not the same as evidence to support those ideas. Do people buy into everything they see on videos? I don't know and I don't care. What I can assure you is that videos are an important communication tool used to disseminate wacko ideas. You can see how vociferously people defend these nutty videos as evidence that they can't separate the nonsense from the plausible.

So now you suggest that scoffers are somehow related to what exactly?

The problem is thinking. Taking every jackass idea as a possibility is pointless. Use a filter. Think. Someone claims a new planet is going to destroy Earth ask them where it is. Someone says they can RV then ask them to provide a test that is verifiable instead of having spout the same continued BS.

2012 was the poster child of stupidity. There were many loudmouths there that couldn't think for themselves.

Morgellons is another case where the gullible simply defend the existence of a disease that isn't there.

Telekinesis is another claim that has fawning believers and no one can demonstrate it.

Some people believe in a third human gender. Prove it.

Breatherians make claims they can't defend.

Chemtrails has to be another poster child for stupidity.

The goof balls that pay loads of money to hear channelers are a clear sign that people are becoming less intelligent.

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In my lifetime..I have seen the masses seduced by the media..the technology that is so prevelant today and that all of us here are using..the ease of life. Most could not survive a night or two in the wilderness if required..they would simply want to run to the store and purchase their needs via a debit card. It's not so easy in the 'real' world. The 'dumbing down' of society has been in the works for years...since the advent of 'technology'. Take away electricity..and tell me..How do you live? What happens to your technology then? We are a dependent upon it. We have, as a society, have forgotten how to LIVE without our technology..we have forgotten how to interact with another. Our education system that tests, not for intelligence nor memory retention, but so that they can continue to be 'funded' by various state and federal grants and monies..thanks to "No child left behind". The schools no longer 'teach'..but teachstudents to pass tests so that they, the schools, can continue to function. I'ts no wonder that there is a 'dumbing down' in our children..and it's rather sad. Live a day without your electricity..and tell me how you do...;) You owe that to Tesla..and if you don't know who HE was..then you are much younger than I am.

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Thanks for all of the typical blah-blah-blah from those that have taken the silly ideas hook, line, and sinker.

Typical response when you dont have anything to refute what I said. You dont even argue what I say nor refute it, just assault it.

You seem to be bothered by people who have better capacity to consider the possibilities than you do. Instead of just trying to have a go at those people, why not ask yourself why you feel that way? Oh yeah, I forgot you like to just ignore all I say if you dont like it and spout your holy denialist dogma (different from what a sceptics is, a less dogmatic form of thinking). Well keep at it.

I dont know if denialism has any more point, because even if you can consider the possibility, doesn't have to mean you believe it like you do in the most real of things. Different degrees of believing, from vague to strong, to just a lingering consideration. People who deny everything like you do outright seem to know something I dont, what is it? A grand conspiracy by the conspiracy-theorists and the like, where they have all united to derail us from scientific reality? Or are they all in just for attention and money? Each and every one of them? Great if you know that, but care to share how you came to that conclusion? Because if you're right, you'd really do the rest of us a favor by letting us know what is it exactly that we're missing here.

And just stating that this and that is bs is pointless, why can't you get it through your skull?

How can denying yourself from thinking not just something but a lot of things, increase intelligence?

....

More edit: I think I got the fundamental part of problem behind denialism. Repeating your ideas to be right isn't pointless, it serves to reassure yourself and to sway others. It may be effective in changing opinions and views. It however is counterproductive to thinking about things themselves. Repeating your ideas is a form of changing opinions of others and of reassuring your own, but thinking things is a form of seeking what's there, what's true.

There's nothing more for me to say here.

Edited by Mikko-kun
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Typical response when you dont have anything to refute what I said. You dont even argue what I say nor refute it, just assault it.

You seem to be bothered by people who have better capacity to consider the possibilities than you do. Instead of just trying to have a go at those people, why not ask yourself why you feel that way? Oh yeah, I forgot you like to just ignore all I say if you dont like it and spout your holy denialist dogma (different from what a sceptics is, a less dogmatic form of thinking). Well keep at it.

I dont know if denialism has any more point, because even if you can consider the possibility, doesn't have to mean you believe it like you do in the most real of things. Different degrees of believing, from vague to strong, to just a lingering consideration. People who deny everything like you do outright seem to know something I dont, what is it? A grand conspiracy by the conspiracy-theorists and the like, where they have all united to derail us from scientific reality? Or are they all in just for attention and money? Each and every one of them? Great if you know that, but care to share how you came to that conclusion? Because if you're right, you'd really do the rest of us a favor by letting us know what is it exactly that we're missing here.

And just stating that this and that is bs is pointless, why can't you get it through your skull?

How can denying yourself from thinking not just something but a lot of things, increase intelligence?

....

More edit: I think I got the fundamental part of problem behind denialism. Repeating your ideas to be right isn't pointless, it serves to reassure yourself and to sway others. It may be effective in changing opinions and views. It however is counterproductive to thinking about things themselves. Repeating your ideas is a form of changing opinions of others and of reassuring your own, but thinking things is a form of seeking what's there, what's true.

There's nothing more for me to say here.

I didn't gloss over anything you posted. Your claim is that there are very gullible people that do not filter out baloney or as you put it "better capacity to consider the possibilities."

There is a difference between considering a possibility and being gullible. To filter out and reject nonsense is being intelligent. Accepting without considering the issues is being gullible. Some people think that being being open minded means accepting anything. Wrong. Being open minded means avoiding rejecting ideas without considering the evidence.

The issue is the evidence. There are those that will accept an idea if it is a challenge to what they consider an authority. Those stories are like this:

1. The evidence is that the ebil gummit aint telling the truth so way no how

2. The Big Whatever has concealed this invention due to greed

3. The powers that be want to enslave humanity

Typical claims from those that think are gullible:

1. Science doesn't know everything

2. People know nothing

3. Science is proved wrong all of the time

4. Researchers are not allowed to upset the status quo

2012 was the poster child of stupidity. I also stand by this statement because the evidence clearly shows that these are baloney.

Wacko ideas such as crop circles, 2012, remote viewing, telekinesis, morgellons, Bosnian pyramids, Nibiru, expanding Earth, hollow Earth, a third human gender, fluoride scare, anti-vaxing, chemtrails, channeling, etc. use the internet to make people stupid.

BTW, your denialism suggestion falls under scoffer. I do not scoff. I examine the evidence. Scoffing or denialism is rejection without considering the evidence.

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It's always easy to blame "technology" isn't it?

However I do think we tend rely on it too much rather than using it as a tool as it was supposed to be used.

However the bigger problem is the environmental pollution we are being exposed to every day. It seems the amounts are increasing and we just cannot get away from it. THAT is what I think is hindering our race's overall "intelligence", not computers, calculators or cell phones.

Again it is up to us to see to our own health. It is not a chore to get up and go for a fifteen minute walk nor is it so terrible to actually fix your own salad instead of eating that stuff at salad bars that has been sprayed with garbage to keep it looking "green".

Technology is a tool and should be treated and used as one, it shouldn't always be a substitute for doing our own work.

Don't go believing everything you see and hear but at the same time you should do your own research and use sources that are not part of the mainstream. Again tv, books and the net are all tools and not a source of unending truth, never was and never will be.

Edited by Ryu
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I find it unlikely, and I see no evidence in testing scores, that either average intelligence or educational achievement is decreasing. Yea there are dummies out there, so what? There always have been.

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In my lifetime..I have seen the masses seduced by the media..the technology that is so prevelant today and that all of us here are using..the ease of life. Most could not survive a night or two in the wilderness if required..they would simply want to run to the store and purchase their needs via a debit card. It's not so easy in the 'real' world. The 'dumbing down' of society has been in the works for years...since the advent of 'technology'. Take away electricity..and tell me..How do you live? What happens to your technology then? We are a dependent upon it. We have, as a society, have forgotten how to LIVE without our technology..we have forgotten how to interact with another. Our education system that tests, not for intelligence nor memory retention, but so that they can continue to be 'funded' by various state and federal grants and monies..thanks to "No child left behind". The schools no longer 'teach'..but teachstudents to pass tests so that they, the schools, can continue to function. I'ts no wonder that there is a 'dumbing down' in our children..and it's rather sad. Live a day without your electricity..and tell me how you do... ;) You owe that to Tesla..and if you don't know who HE was..then you are much younger than I am.

Before you get down from your soapbox of self-righteousness what is your advice for those who need dialysis or medical ventilation?
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Ruy, there may be side-effects we dont know in any tech you can name. Doesn't mean we shouldn't use much of them, I mean you can't make an omelet without breaking the eggs, we die anyhow at some point so it's no biggie. But for the good of mankind those side-effects should neither be ignored nor used as excuses to take the tech off the market if they're actually mild harms. I dont know if it's been proven for example that much computer/tv screen and you get glasses some day, but the real harm might be the addictiveness of those decives on us... glasses are a minor thing really. A lot of people here rather play with their cellphones than even look at other passengers in the bus, let alone talk to them. I think this year so far, I've been to bus every day to work except most weekends, and it's been one or two times when someone talked to me. One time, this beautiful blonde, another time it was Archangel Michael in human form, as he introduced himself. He had a lot to talk about. I think that was last year tho.

Just to give you a picture how tech can encourage real-life shut-inness. It's people using them aye, that's one part of it.

Typical claims from those that think are gullible:

1. Science doesn't know everything

2. People know nothing

3. Science is proved wrong all of the time

4. Researchers are not allowed to upset the status quo

But you agree with them, dont you? Because scientists disagree on things, it's why you can't claim you believe every scientist. Gullibility is to take something at face value, without considering it. You just give more emphasis to evidence itself in consideration, I give more to what it can lead to, and the lead-to hypotheses are often based on already-known scenarios that went the same way. It's called logic, deduction from things, which is not evidence itself. Evidence, evidence of what exactly? This is the consideration of possibilities, occam's razor can be used but you can't blame others for not using it, just blame them for demanding you to hear what they have to say if you dont wanna hear it.

And I know researchers who upset the status quo, how appreciated they are in their field is another thing but they're done their homework. And I dont think science is wrong, inaccurate is a better word for it in most cases. And people know what they know, no more no less.

Please dont lump everyone who consider possibilities you regard as bs gullible, let alone inconsiderate and overly dogmatic. I can't understand the harm from considering possibilities... I've done it a great deal and my life hasn't changed too much at all from what it's been before I even heard about conspiracies. Maybe you should get that precious evidence that everyone who believes in possibilities are looneys or overly dogmatic or things like that... those are often-used arguments you say, true, but there's a sense behind them, they're often used to counter the seeming dogma that scientific consensus could not be wrong, that's their point. The sceptics often say that if you make a claim, the burden of proof is on you so how about applying that to yourself? And no, I didn't make that claim, but you read my words the way you want and that I can do pretty much nothing about unless you cross the forum rules.

...

Oh, and by face value sceptics should be labeled as those who consider possibilities, if you make a difference between scepticism and denialism. Because you can still consider it even if your stance is sceptical, you can't just be sceptical to nothing, you need something to be sceptical towards and realise what it is. I'm sceptical towards getting a raise at work. I'm in denial about santa claus visiting me today. The difference.

Edited by Mikko-kun
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But you agree with them, dont you? Because scientists disagree on things, it's why you can't claim you believe every scientist. Gullibility is to take something at face value, without considering it. You just give more emphasis to evidence itself in consideration, I give more to what it can lead to, and the lead-to hypotheses are often based on already-known scenarios that went the same way. It's called logic, deduction from things, which is not evidence itself. Evidence, evidence of what exactly? This is the consideration of possibilities, occam's razor can be used but you can't blame others for not using it, just blame them for demanding you to hear what they have to say if you dont wanna hear it.

And I know researchers who upset the status quo, how appreciated they are in their field is another thing but they're done their homework. And I dont think science is wrong, inaccurate is a better word for it in most cases. And people know what they know, no more no less.

Every researcher than upsets the status quo is appreciated because it opens up a new avenue of research. It may step on the toes of someone that built a career from an older line of thought, but that is what happens.

I do not agree with:

2. People know nothing

3. Science is proved wrong all of the time

4. Researchers are not allowed to upset the status quo

although the gullible present their case as "Science doesn't know everything" they really end up claiming that since there are issues that are known then science knows nothing.

I do not disregard possibilities which believe you claim I do. I disregard possibilities that are not possible. Many claims of the gullible are as impossible as people spontaneously sprouting wings and flying or humans suddenly possessing 12 strand DNA.

The evidence is quite clear that crop circles are human made, vaccinations do not kill hundreds of thousands each year, remote viewing does not work, the Bosnian pyramid is a natural structure, there is no Nibiru or other unknown planet sized object with 320AU, the Earth is not expanding, the Earth is not hollow, there is no third human gender, fluoridation is effective and is not used to make the masses open to suggestion from TPTB, chemtrails do not exist, channelers are fakes, no one can do telekinesis, and 2012 was an obvious flop as seen a decade before it came to be.

There are lots of these issues that are loudly believed as possibilities even though the evidence is heavily against. One of the 2012 gurus recently published a book in which he claims everything happened as he predicted. Some gullible saps are going to fall for that book.

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Every researcher than upsets the status quo is appreciated because it opens up a new avenue of research. It may step on the toes of someone that built a career from an older line of thought, but that is what happens.

I do not agree with:

2. People know nothing

3. Science is proved wrong all of the time

4. Researchers are not allowed to upset the status quo

although the gullible present their case as "Science doesn't know everything" they really end up claiming that since there are issues that are known then science knows nothing.

I do not disregard possibilities which believe you claim I do. I disregard possibilities that are not possible. Many claims of the gullible are as impossible as people spontaneously sprouting wings and flying or humans suddenly possessing 12 strand DNA.

The evidence is quite clear that crop circles are human made, vaccinations do not kill hundreds of thousands each year, remote viewing does not work, the Bosnian pyramid is a natural structure, there is no Nibiru or other unknown planet sized object with 320AU, the Earth is not expanding, the Earth is not hollow, there is no third human gender, fluoridation is effective and is not used to make the masses open to suggestion from TPTB, chemtrails do not exist, channelers are fakes, no one can do telekinesis, and 2012 was an obvious flop as seen a decade before it came to be.

The highlighted is a possibility. Of course you can claim it's impossible through mainstream theories of how earth works, but is there any single theory that explains everything without leaving any hole, accepted by mainstream? That placebo is one unfilled hole, is already speaking for this. It's easy to think of possibilities like hollow earth if you can question the basics of how world works.

And my beef is, if you think you already know how the world works and have no holes in that knowledge of yours, then why can't you explain everything? I dont think the evidence is clear at all, what you see in evidence is the only clear thing. I see reflection of myself in both water and mirror, but that doesn't make the two the same, even if I see the same in them. Our views can be flawed, twisted, incomplete, even if the evidence itself might not be.

I dont mind disregarding possibilities, provided that you can safely and honestly disregard them.

...

And I dont really have an opinion except "interesting" about the hollow earth thing. I see it pretty much pointless to dwell deep into it unless you're that interested, because it's just one big possibility to many ways if you'll recognice how much evidence we might miss with our fixed views.

Edited by Mikko-kun
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The highlighted is a possibility. Of course you can claim it's impossible through mainstream theories of how earth works, but is there any single theory that explains everything without leaving any hole, accepted by mainstream? That placebo is one unfilled hole, is already speaking for this. It's easy to think of possibilities like hollow earth if you can question the basics of how world works.

And my beef is, if you think you already know how the world works and have no holes in that knowledge of yours, then why can't you explain everything? I dont think the evidence is clear at all, what you see in evidence is the only clear thing. I see reflection of myself in both water and mirror, but that doesn't make the two the same, even if I see the same in them. Our views can be flawed, twisted, incomplete, even if the evidence itself might not be.

I dont mind disregarding possibilities, provided that you can safely and honestly disregard them.

...

And I dont really have an opinion except "interesting" about the hollow earth thing. I see it pretty much pointless to dwell deep into it unless you're that interested, because it's just one big possibility to many ways if you'll recognice how much evidence we might miss with our fixed views.

Your beef is a non-starter. You don't have to know everything to know a lot. Your suggestion that everything has to be explained has nothing to do with knowing a lot.

For example, there is zero possibility for a hollow Earth. There is no possible way to have the mass of the Earth and have it hollow. There is no way to deal with the passage of seismic waves through the Earth and have it hollow. There is no way to have the Earth hollow and agree with detectors placed in mines. There is no way to construct a hollow Earth that is structurally stable. just because the placebo effect is not well understood has no bearing on this issue of a hollow earth. Yes, we can disregard the possibility of a hollow Earth just as we can disregard the possibility of a 7 cities of gold hidden somewhere in Texas.

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edit

edit

IMO, another factor that Dumb's people down is latching onto a single point of view that disallows people to comprehend other points of view, other forms of perception and other ideologies. Any Ideology that doesn't show respect for other peoples perceptions Dumb's folk down because it turns a big picture into a narrowed view. Narrow views of any subject obscures the bigger picture to the point where metaphorically one is left blind in one eye and seeing the world through the core of a toilet roll in the other. greater meanings are lost, and one is left knocking into furniture and getting in everyone else's way.

Keep on topic please.

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Todays children are taught to specialise in two or three subjects apart from mandatory Maths and English,so today they havent a clue about the lesser subjects.Even 50 years ago the boys at my mixed school were told to drop Biology in favour of Woodwork so I havent a clue about Biology apart from what David Attenborough has taught me thru his programs.Todays children have no idea of basic Maths without a calculator, but every kid is taught how to use a computer and its left up to them whether they want to study Geology, Geography ,History and other such subjects.

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It's interesting as how we become more technologically advanced as a species the average human being seems to less intelligent than ever before. Many factors could be attributed to this but one I would make a particular mention of is that in general books are not as read much as they once were with changing social pastimes. Also there seems to be an encroaching pragmatism among a lot were they seem loathe to contemplate the meaning of what it is to be alive and seem to accept the reductive and dry scientific explanations. Say what you like about religion but at least when it had a larger presence in developed societies it enforced a moral tone which now seems to be completely lacking from the majority of the populace or manipulated to suit their own purposes. Also I religion encouraged a breadth of thought about the purpose of existence which now seems to be out of the grasp of everyone who doesn't have an advanced scientific knowledge.

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It's interesting as how we become more technologically advanced as a species the average human being seems to less intelligent than ever before. Many factors could be attributed to this but one I would make a particular mention of is that in general books are not as read much as they once were with changing social pastimes. Also there seems to be an encroaching pragmatism among a lot were they seem loathe to contemplate the meaning of what it is to be alive and seem to accept the reductive and dry scientific explanations. Say what you like about religion but at least when it had a larger presence in developed societies it enforced a moral tone which now seems to be completely lacking from the majority of the populace or manipulated to suit their own purposes. Also I religion encouraged a breadth of thought about the purpose of existence which now seems to be out of the grasp of everyone who doesn't have an advanced scientific knowledge.

Whats religeon got to do with whether Humans are intelligent or not.
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Whats religeon got to do with whether Humans are intelligent or not.

Religion or the spiritual beliefs which it represents encouraged 'ordinary' people to ask the important questions about life such as 'why are we here' whereas now with the decline of religious belief systems most ordinary ignorant people seem quite content to remain just that safe in the knowledge that a scientific model of the universe (which they probably don't understand) has all the answers.

Edited by aimlesswalk
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Religion or the spiritual beliefs which it represents encouraged 'ordinary' people to ask the important questions about life such as 'why are we here' whereas now with the decline of religious belief systems most ordinary ignorant people seem quite content to remain that safe in the knowledge that a scientific model of the universe (which they probably don't understand) has all the answers.

Yea -- the ordinary Jo Blo hasn't changed at all; still as ignorant and prejudiced and arrogant as ever. It takes knowledge to overcome ignorance and prejudice and to realize you don't know it all.
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Religion or the spiritual beliefs which it represents encouraged 'ordinary' people to ask the important questions about life such as 'why are we here' whereas now with the decline of religious belief systems most ordinary ignorant people seem quite content to remain just that safe in the knowledge that a scientific model of the universe (which they probably don't understand) has all the answers.

I like the fact that spirituality and being spiritual encourages people to ask these big questions like "Why are we here" and "What's it all about". Acknowledging the inner universe and exploring our inner selves has been for the most part neglected in society.. Minds that reach for hard answers to such hard questions seem to get more exercise than minds that Google the answers..

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I like the fact that spirituality and being spiritual encourages people to ask these big questions like "Why are we here" and "What's it all about". Acknowledging the inner universe and exploring our inner selves has been for the most part neglected in society.. Minds that reach for hard answers to such hard questions seem to get more exercise than minds that Google the answers..

Exactly the materialistic outlook of many in society no doubt shaped by the evolutionarily scientific paradigm is loathe to contemplate such questions which were once commonly dwelt upon but now any such thought is usually frowned upon or dismissed by the vapid materialistic consensus which is adhered to by many were we foolishly mistake an egotistically inflated sense of cleverness (or smugness) for having all the answers which we think are so easy we don't even need to think about them. I hope something in our own nature and thus the nature of the universe surprises us eventually to stir us out of this materialistic complacency we seem so enamoured with.

Edited by aimlesswalk
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Well, considering that "intelligence" is spelled incorrectly in the thread title (that's been up since Feb.)...no argument from me here.

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People are no more or less intelligent today, than they were 50, 500 or 5000 years ago. Increasing specialisation has meant people do not, perhaps, have the breadth of basic knowledge that people of earlier times had, and this loss of basic knowledge is facilitated also by the increase in mechanisation and other technologies which are a replacement for basic skills of generations past.

The increase in the quantity of knowledge we have accumulated as a species also gives the impression the majority of people are 'less intelligent', but this impression is false.

People rely much more on machines, and other people, to perform many of the basic tasks that people of times past may have considered 'normal life skills' - but that does not suggest the intelligence of modern people is any less on average. However, it might indicate a trend towards 'lazy thinking'.

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Religion or the spiritual beliefs which it represents encouraged 'ordinary' people to ask the important questions about life such as 'why are we here' whereas now with the decline of religious belief systems most ordinary ignorant people seem quite content to remain just that safe in the knowledge that a scientific model of the universe (which they probably don't understand) has all the answers.

Ask yourself this question "are you more or less intelligent than a man who lives with a tribe in the Amazon Jungle ?"He doesn't need Maths or religion, but survives because he has learned the art of survival.I think I know who would survive the longest if we faced an Apocalypse. Modern man apart from a very few would only last days if all the Super Markets shut for good.You don't need Religeon to be intelligent,but you do need to know how to light a fire without matches or lighters.
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Ask yourself this question "are you more or less intelligent than a man who lives with a tribe in the Amazon Jungle ?"He doesn't need Maths or religion, but survives because he has learned the art of survival.I think I know who would survive the longest if we faced an Apocalypse. Modern man apart from a very few would only last days if all the Super Markets shut for good.You don't need Religeon to be intelligent,but you do need to know how to light a fire without matches or lighters.

That's assuming of course that I would want to survive an Apocalypse also on the point of being anymore intelligent than someone in a hunter gatherer society although they may be more adept at survival in their natural environment such communities are usually intolerant of those who don't have the same resourcefulness as they do where in developed societies we have cultivated an acceptance of different viewpoints and perspectives which have formed through being in a society where the impetus is no longer simply to survive. Also the morality of such hunter gatherer societies becomes subservient to the interests of a collective not permitting individual rights and I always find it quite worrying when men from developed societies respect this way of life perhaps it harks back to the alpha and beta male dichotomy.

Edited by aimlesswalk
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