How can it be that so few of us humans are genuinely stupid when human stupidity is nearly infinite?

[Sunstone]

How can it be that so few of us humans are genuinely stupid when human stupidity is nearly infinite? It seems that only a minority of humans -- maybe as few as 15% of the total population -- are profoundly stupid. And yet, human stupidity seems infinite. How can this be so?

 

[LuisDantas]

Manifest Destiny.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

How can it be that so few of us humans are genuinely stupid when human stupidity is nearly infinite? It seems that only a minority of humans -- maybe as few as 15% of the total population -- are profoundly stupid. And yet, human stupidity seems infinite. How can this be so?

The farther you are from Earth, the stupider things appear. Given an infinite (or, finite but unbounded) universe, we're big fat idiots.

 

[Tumah]

Human stupidity is dependent on the degree of relation to myself. The closer one is related to me, the higher the degree of stupidity one is likely to have.

It appears that human stupidity is actually infinite, but this is not so. Only to those that are further removed from myself stupidity can seem so incredibly vast, as to appear infinite. Like an any standing next to a skyscraper.

Unfortunately, this website has facilitated some degree of connection between yourselves any mine. So I can unequivocally say that knowing me has made you all a little dumber.

 

[Quintessence]

I'd wager it has something to do with hubris.

 

[ChristineES]

A person doesn't need to be stupid in order to do stupid things, you know.

 

[yoda89]

We are all stupid compared to the knowledge yet undiscovered in our universe. It is those who do not admit such stupidity who are in true danger of being profoundly stupid.

 

[ChristineES]

It appears we are stupid and we are not stupid, depending on who you are comparing yourself to.

 

[yoda89]

It appears we are stupid and we are not stupid, depending on who you are comparing yourself to.

We all have our superiors even if in a small way. Do you have the imagination of a child? The stamina of an iron man champion? Yet you still are superior to them in many ways.

 

[Sunstone]

*Post Removed*

Let me guess...you have led such an isolated existence that you've honestly never met an intelligent person who believed in deity?

 

[Debater Slayer]

*Post Removed*

Because not believing in any deities is a sure sign of intelligence and open-mindedness just like you are exhibiting here, right?

 

[Sunstone]

*Post Removed*

You seem unwilling to entertain the possibility that your sample of people -- the people you've met in your life and came to know well enough to reliably judge their intelligence -- is not representative of the whole. If so, why is that?

You also seem unwilling to entertain the possibility that you yourself are not always or perhaps even often a reliable judge of intelligence in others. If so, why is that?

 

[Amechania]

what a great tagline for a movie, "I see dumb people."

 

[Quintessence]

Let me guess...you have led such an isolated existence that you've honestly never met an intelligent person who believed in deity?

Wait... he's talking about deities? I don't know many gods that could accurately be described as "imaginary friends in the sky." In fact, as I sit here thinking about it, I'm struggling to come up with a single example that matches that description. Or if he is talking about deities, he apparently doesn't understand the concept.

 

[Vinayaka]

"I see dumb people."

often a reciprocal arrangement

 

[Dingbat]

Wait... he's talking about deities? I don't know many gods that could accurately be described as "imaginary friends in the sky." In fact, as I sit here thinking about it, I'm struggling to come up with a single example that matches that description. Or if he is talking about deities, he apparently doesn't understand the concept.

I have an imaginary fighter pilot friend.

 

[Willamena]

How can it be that so few of us humans are genuinely stupid when human stupidity is nearly infinite?

I guess the same way that we can know the truth of the fact that we can never know truth.

 

[Secret Chief]

Intelligence is a complex psychological phenomenon. Clinically low levels (stupidity) can relatively seem to improve the intelligence of the surrounding population. Let me provide an illustrative example. Say that there is a small hamlet of 100 adults who, for the sake of this point are all equally averagely intelligent as each other.

Now, the obvious way to improve their overall intelligence is to put them all through a high level educational programme. But there is a quicker way, since it is all statistically relative. To make the village a village of geniuses overnight one simply has to add one person to its population; ensuring of course that the person is a creationist.

 

[Quintessence]

I have an imaginary fighter pilot friend.

Do you regard them as the patron god of airpersons and stuff?

 

[idav]

Even if a person is not stupid they still can and do choose to do stupid things. Probably cause of some illogical emotion being preferred over sound reason. So even if we are intelligent and no better, we are still animals. For example when is the last time knowing something is unhealthy stops everyone from consuming it? Wonders never cease.