The Nature of Human Stupidity

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Frederick Foresight, Dec 18, 2024.

  1.  
    insider trading and Tuxan like this.
  2. traderob and echopulse like this.
  3. I was going to include the caption, You know who you are. But that's not right. As a viewer aptly pointed out: "When you're dead, you don’t know it, but everyone else does. It's the same when you are stupid." And there you are.
     
  4. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    I used to tell my wildlife rangers that the one thing I’d probably fire them for wasn’t just being wrong, it was being confidently wrong repeatedly. That kind of behavior suggests not just a lack of knowledge in specific areas, but an inability to adapt or recognize their own ignorance, both in specific instances and generally.

    It’s the hallmark of MAGA on the low-ability end and Objectivists on the brighter, but still consistently wrong, end.
     
  5. As is often observed, ignorance can be cured but stupid is forever.
     
    insider trading and Tuxan like this.
  6. ipatent

    ipatent

    People are stupid mostly because of their inherited genes, about 75%.
     
  7. Yeah, but some people really put an effort into it.
     
    insider trading likes this.
  8. notagain

    notagain

    Best and brightest run everything and happily sold out the country.
    So if you put all of the same ilk in charge, they will schism away from the greater good.
    Elect people or smart dogs with nothing in common with each other, preventing a conspiracy of similar interests.
     
  9. tomorton

    tomorton

    Of curse, stupidity can be amplified and reinforced when a moral element comes into play. Stupid people will argue even harder that they are right and you are wrong when they believe they are not just factually right but morally right. This of coure makes them and their ideas morally superioir to everyone else and theirs. I am thinking of course of socialists.
     
  10. Tuxan

    Tuxan

    However, by using the example of socialists, you may unintentionally mirror the very behavior being criticised, oversimplifying complex groups and ideas into a monolithic critique?

    Morality requires at least an implicit theory, a framework that defines what is good, bad, just, or unjust. Without a theory, morality becomes an arbitrary assertion of preferences or instincts, often influenced by cultural or personal biases.

    Morality is a framework for striving toward shared values rather than a cudgel for ideological dominance. To engage meaningfully with morality, one must do the hard work of defining it, acknowledging its limitations, and applying it consistently. Without this, moral arguments risk being little more than rhetorical weapons or just moralism.

    Moralism implies an overemphasis on moral rules or judgments, especially in a way that is rigid, self-righteous, or dismissive of nuance.

    Both core MAGA supporters and Objectivists are not entirely monoliths, and their members may demonstrate varying levels of adaptability and critical thinking. Still, confidently repeated mistakes, regardless of ideology, reveal a fundamental inability to engage with complexity.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2024
    #10     Dec 22, 2024