> den Otter wrote:
>
> > ----------
> > > From: Michael S. Lorrey <retroman@together.net>
> > > Exactly. Freedom means the right to be stupid. Only by giving all the right
> > > to be stupid by themselves can we learn what is true wisdom.
> >
> > Nice words, but other people's stupidities, especially in the religious/
> > political realm, will sooner or later negatively influence *your* life
> > as well. The very reason that you worry about dictatorships and
> > such is *stupid people*.
>
> Thats what the prophets of encouraged evolution are for: Mr. Colt, Mr. Remington,
> Mr. Winchester, Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson, and Mr. Ruger.
Great against muggers and such, but to take on organized stupidity you'll need a lot more firepower than that...
> Stupidity is frequently a
> capital crime.
Unfortunately, the stupid only too often reproduce before perishing, thus continuing the tradition.
> > Yep, we surely do live in an enlightened world. Not! Either those
> > kids *are* influenced by their parent's drivel, or they are just born
> > stupid. What shall it be?
>
> Everyone is born stupid. Not all remain so.
By born stupid I meant *inherently* stupid, as in prone to pick up the wrong kinds of memes and being close-minded or so open-minded that your brains hit the floor, not just "uneducated".
> Most figure out that you can't be
> stupid and get along in the modern world.... Those that don't either die or remain
> in their little niches where their actual influence on the world is miniscule,
> rare, and inconsequential.
There's stupid and there's stupid. Most people are selectively stupid, i.e. they can be great at their job or hobby, but really dumb and gullible when it comes to things like politics and religion. Their stupidity is harmful, but usually not directly lethal so they can breed and create lots of equally "stupid" offspring. Their influence is anything but miniscule; it is *huge*. Both democracies and a dictatorships (and anything in between) are the direct result of the majority's mentality. Those "evil" politicians are in office because the people allowed them to, often even *wanted* them to [come into power]. Libertarians and Extropians often glorify spontaneous order, but they forget that *everything* is the result of spontaneous order, including the socio-political/religious status quo. These systems are a prime example of evolution in action.
> The real work is not in forcing people to raise their children in cookie cutter
> politically correct lifestyles, but in teaching adults to critically think for
> themselves.
Incidentally, this can be the same. We now identify "politically correct" with all sorts of nonsense, but theoretically rational thinking (the real thing) could be made the "politically correct" thing to do. Would you still oppose it then?
> That is a problem that is not the fault of the student, but of the
> teacher. Well, teacher, what have you got to say for yourself?