cicely Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I don't suspect that we're becoming less
> intelligent; but I strongly suspect that we (or at
> least, many of us) are becoming lazier in our use
> of our intelligence. And that this is cultural,
> rather than inherent.
>
> Now, I'm done.
>
> Maybe.
>
> Unless you provoke me.


I think you're referring to what I consider "effective intelligence". Many very bright and very quick people are effectively dolts outside of their specialty. There are brain surgeons who can't figure out to go when the light turns green and rocket scientists who don't truly understand the wheel. Many people now days can't see the forest for the trees. This isn't always a bad thing but we've gotten to the point in the last few decades that there are virtually no generalists.

Factories are run by teams of specialists and none has a clue what the others do or their needs. "Science" which was once a tool to discover the secrets of the universe has become a religion often run by self appointed high priests who have no comprehension of their limitations. Even the nuts and bolts scientists are often much more sure than their finding would warrant.

It can be impossible to see the real meaning of one's own work and knowledge if can't be seen how it fits in the the scheme of things. How do you invent an improvement in technology if you're so specialized that you can't see where your specialty interfaces with real life or real problems?

Perhaps we aren't really less intelligent but there's little doubt that we are effectively less intelligent. It may be a frightening propect but I strongly suspect that additionally we really are less intelligent than our ancestors on average. The main place this shows up in behavior is that our ancestors knew they had little control over their destinies. They knew that their meager ability to reason was insufficient to control how their lives unfolded. They knew that the data needed to make rational choices was always out of their reach. This is why they adopted their Gods and built pyramids. We know everything and rush in where angels fear to tread.








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Man fears the pyramid, time fears man.