From: Alexander Sheppard (alexandersheppard@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Nov 23 2002 - 12:24:17 MST
>Hmm, are smart people behaving more ethically? I don't think so, >looking
>at the academic and corporate environment I can't see any real >evidence.
>However, stupid people often resort to coercion. So again, I >think IQ
>prevents something bad but does not by itself bring good.
Actually, it seems to me that people who devote themselves more to gaining
knolwedge do behave more ethically, actually--because ethics is part of
truth. It's rare that you get a jingoist scientist who actually discovers
very much, because that isn't conductive to truth, and if you're really
committed to finding the truth, then you won't be a jingoist. Similiarly,
you'll find that most of these people who are hailed as great inventors and
corporate leaders actually didn't really invent all that much compared to
many other people who aren't recognized at all, because corporate leadership
is basically a job of empire building, and that's not conductive to truth
either, any more than the literal empire building of say, Hitler or any
number of US Presidents was. I think you'll find, actually, that in the
past, productive scientists have generally tilted toward the left, and
dissident end of the political spectrum. I mean, I don't think that should
be a reason why anyone should endorse "the left"--whatever that means--but
generally, I think this is true, because in the past, I think what we call
"the left" has symbolized things which were more ethical than the
mainstream.
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