Why smart people are important

[ChristineM]

I think you'll find that Europe has its fair share of inventions...the computer, graphene, railways are not insignificant

Jet engine comes to mind too and the world wide web. ?

 

[Sunstone]

Historically (pre-industrial), the education system in China was designed to tie the elite into the Confucian state. Knowledge was linked to governance, tradition, prestige or practical application rather than being an end in itself.

The stability and centralisation this produced was why China was so advanced for so long, yet was late industrialising and didn't develop the modern scientific methods that emerged in Europe from the late Medieval through Enlightenment periods. Science was ultimately about practical results, and while many people today might think of Confucianism as being more amenable to scientific enquiry than Christianity, the opposite was really true historically.

Confucian learning was mostly either purely practical, or literally elitist, whereas in Europe universities developed as centres of independent scholarship.

I stand corrected. Thanks, Augustus. Also, I had forgotten how much the scientific revolution in the West was driven by "pure" science, especially in its early stages.

 

[dfnj]

Proof of my original argument.

Totally ignoring history and the 30 million that died of starvation. Just so he can argue "correlation doesn't prove causation".

Thank you for proving my point.

Thank you for proving my point about you!

 

[Enoch07]

Thank you for proving my point about you!

Thats a great non-sequitur. I don't have anything to do with the right wing. So your accusation and "point" is a total miss, let alone "proven".

 

[dfnj]

Thats a great non-sequitur. I don't have anything to do with the right wing. So your accusation and "point" is a total miss, let alone "proven".

Au contraire, you responded so obviously not only did prove my point was on target, but it was completely following the sequence of thought precisely.

 

[BSM1]

Right back at you! Sometimes being ignorant and stupid prevents you from acting wisely!

Not sure I follow, but there is a difference between stupidity and ignorance. Ignorance is doing something wrong because you simply don't know any better; stupidity is when you do it again.

 

[oldbadger]

Severed fingers are even more cringeworthy though.
If I had a shop with employees, I'd be using that saw.

As a trainee of 16yrs I watched a machinist get his arm chopped up in three places by a multi-rip saw. He had reached down inside the dust extractor to recover an allan key and turned on the saw with his other hand as he was reaching. (They had a bad habit of flicking off the auto safety after stopping the machines). I'll never forget the humming sound that the jammed motor made as it tried to keep going.

But the worst finger chopper was the 'hand-fed' spindle. I didn't know any spindle machinist who had all his fingers.

 

[Enoch07]

Au contraire, you responded so obviously not only did prove my point was on target, but it was completely following the sequence of thought precisely.

LoLz

In order for your point to have any validation. I would have to be right wing. Which I am not. You can live in denial of facts if you want. But your only making yourself look bad.

 

[dfnj]

LoLz

In order for your point to have any validation. I would have to be right wing. Which I am not. You can live in denial of facts if you want. But your only making yourself look bad.

I've never looked better. You are the one who's assumptions are all awry.

 

[Enoch07]

I've never looked better. You are the one who's assumptions are all awry.

Look at my political affiliation. Realize you are living in your own delusion.

I'll give you a hint. Libertarian is not right wing.


LoLz

 

[dfnj]

Look at my political affiliation. Realize you are living in your own delusion.
I'll give you a hint. Libertarian is not right wing.
LoLz

Libertarian! OMG, that's awful. Do you have any friends?

 

[oldbadger]

It will never happen. This country will burn before that happens. It's a guaranteed civil war. A civil war socialist have no chance of winning.

So, if democracy leans far enough to the left you will go out killing? Hmmmm........ Oh well, you've got that off your chest, I suppose..................

I can fire off 10 rounds in under 30 seconds, 500 yards downrange with a 6 inch grouping. Thats with a junky old bolt action rifle made in 1948. A civil war is not what you want to happen.

Trouble is, there's probably a bunch of sociopathic nutters to oppose you who can boast similar groups with their old lee-enfields (whatever) as well?
Good luck with that.
Perhaps you could make arrangements for all the gung-ho nuts to meet up against each other, far far away from everybody else? That at least would be beneficial for the rest of the population?

 

[Enoch07]

Libertarian! OMG, that's awful. Do you have any friends?

It could be worse. At least I was not a Bernie supporter.

 

[Enoch07]

So, if democracy leans far enough to the left you will go out killing? Hmmmm........ Oh well, you've got that off your chest, I suppose..................

Huh? That's nonsensical.

Trouble is, there's probably a bunch of sociopathic nutters to oppose you who can boast similar groups with their old lee-enfields.

Hmm thats a tall order to fill! Sociopathic socialist gun nuts, with sharp shooter skills to boot! I'll take those odds!

 

[Enoch07]

At least then you would have friends and everyone would not think you are such an a hole.

It's hard it really is. Oh wait I don't give 2 p00ps.

 

[oldbadger]

Huh? That's nonsensical.

Absolutely! The trouble with many libertarians is that they want to reap benefits of society without having to be fully responsible. It's like spoilt brat kids who want their dinner but refuse to help do the washing up after!
But the kid who, on being made to help wash up, grabs the kitchen knife and goes bonkers with it, well that's a whole different problem altogether.

Hmm thats a tall order to fill! Sociopathic socialist gun nuts, with sharp shooter skills to boot! I'll take those odds!

OK....... just take them far far away from democratic humanity.
Live by the sword........................

 

[Enoch07]

Absolutely! The trouble with many libertarians is that they want to reap benefits of society without having to be fully responsible.

Your barking up the wrong tree on that one.

It's like spoilt brat kids who want their dinner but refuse to help do the washing up after!

LoLz see above.

OK....... just take them far far away from democratic humanity.
Live by the sword........................

I am not aware of any sociopathic socialist gun nuts. Your the one who imagined them up.

 

[dfnj]

It's hard it really is. Oh wait I don't give 2 p00ps.

Me either!

 

[oldbadger]

I am not aware of any sociopathic socialist gun nuts. Your the one who imagined them up.

Alright........... just the libertarian sharpshootin' gung-ho gun nuts!

 

[Hockeycowboy]

We can always find examples of being pro or anti intellectual.
People will see what they want, depending upon whether
they want to praise or dis Americastan.

Btw, I'm in favor of people being smart & educated.
Although....I'm wary of your imposing triple digit IQ.

"Imposing" IQ is good enough; saying "triple-digit" means nothing...... 100 indicates average.