Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
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Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
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Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#2It is a fun read.
But what we really need (to convert this to science) is to measure the objective metrics. For example, measure the number of articles in [insert social network name] for claims that contradict established scientific laws (let's say, physics). I know it'll be more difficult to do for economy or sociology, but at least with physics we might have a large body of well established and experimentally confirmed facts.
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#3Stupidity got certainly more diverse, and more complex and interesting varieties of it became more accessible to the general public.
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#4It is a fun read. But what we really need (to convert this to science) is to measure the objective metrics. For example, measure the number of articles in [insert social network name] for claims that contradict established scientific laws (let's say, physics). I know it'll be more difficult to do for economy or sociology, but at least with physics we might have a large body of well established and experimentally conf…
I don't think volume of articles is a very good measure. The distribution of people who publish things has changed over time.
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#5Almost every one of the possible explanations (for rising stupidity, and for rising perception of stupidity if it isn't real), looked plausible to me. But that probably just means that "stupid" isn't a word with a precise enough definition, and so for each of the possible ways to define it, one (or more) of the various answers applies.
But, in general, it seems not unrelated to the phenomenon in which weird things are much more commonly encountered (due to the ability to see/hear/read about things happening to anyone, anywhere, anytime). Weird (and perhaps also stupid) floats to the top of the list of things to be perceived, and there is now an industry (or several) to bring them to us all the time.
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#6Well, whatever the case is, stupidity is overdetermined.
Here are a few ideas not mentioned.
* Similar to #13. Expansion of rural broadband, mobile computing, and cell phone networks, combined with post-9/11 entrenchment/mainstreamization of fringe cable news and talk radio. That's a lot of "information" getting to folks with below-average formal education.
* It has always been somewhat unfashionable to call religious people "stupid", but the steady decline in religiosity may have led to gullibility in other areas of life, particularly politics and conspiracy theories (MAGA/QAnon/Fox News/4Chan) that we are more apt to call "stupid"
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#7> I am acquiring greater wisdom with age as I ought, but the average age of the typical person I encounter stays the same so they cannot keep up. I’m noticing the contrast increasing but misattributing it.
My money is on this. You wouldn't typically argue with a kid, but on the internet you probably are.
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#8Reminds me of that one movie Idiocrasy.
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#9It is a fun read. But what we really need (to convert this to science) is to measure the objective metrics. For example, measure the number of articles in [insert social network name] for claims that contradict established scientific laws (let's say, physics). I know it'll be more difficult to do for economy or sociology, but at least with physics we might have a large body of well established and experimentally conf…
I've seen comparisons of how popular songs nowadays use simpler and less diverse words than they used to.
Re: Is Stupidity Expanding? Some Hypotheses
#10I've thought a bit about the "It’s real, and it’s probably all that extra CO2 in the atmosphere" option a bit, myself. It seems to be a worldwide phenomenon, with IQ's dropping [1] for the past few decades, and seemingly a bit of a resurgence in fascistic world leaders. I know increased CO2 does have a negative impact on cognitive ability—but I'm not sure what levels yield a meaningful effect.
Regardless, no harm in having a small arsenal of houseplants!
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/13/health/falling-iq-scores-stud...