From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Mon Aug 06 2001 - 18:12:11 MDT
Doug Skrecky wrote:
>
> Cryonet Message #17199 From: Ettinger
> Subject: Free will and responsibility
>
> >It is a never-ending source of amazement that bright people can make the
> >simplest and grossest mistakes--and that, no matter what you say or how
> >clearly you say it, someone will misunderstand it.
> >
> I used to be a member of Mensa, an organisation where even the village
> idiot has to have an IQ in the top 2% to join. People on welfare showed up
> at meetings. People who were apparently mentally ill showed up. One even
> boasted about how crazy "it" was. In short lots of people showed up who
> could not add two plus two and reliably get an answer of four. I am no
> longer a member of Mensa.
I went to several meeting but declined to joint for somewhat
different reasons. Here were all these big brains and they
chose to spend their time on mostly silly games, meaningless
hobbies and looking for someone smart enough to date them
despite their (often) utter lack of social skills or too-deep
self-centeredness. There were some really great people there.
Don't get me wrong. But that didn't make the general atmosphere
worth it.
> This experience forced me to make a clear distinction between IQ and
> common sense. If the entire population suddenly acquired ten extra IQ
> points, nothing much would change. If the entire population suddenly was
> gifted with 10 extra common sense points, our society would be
> transformed overnight.
Everyone going to around 140+ in IQ overnight would also
transform the society pretty rapidly. What is "common sense"?
It is certainly, as many have observed, not "common".
> Bums in the street would vanish, because begging is a harder way to
> acquire funds, than working a job. Crime would plummet, because in the
> long run crime usually really doesn't pay. Strife at the office, at home,
> and at school would be reduced because it is pointless. The economy would
> boom, everybody would be happy, there would be no more wars, etc, etc.
This looks naive. Who says there are sufficient jobs for
everyone to have one that pays a livable age even if everyone
does have "common sense"? Who says that "common sense" would
abolish plain greed and the type of self-interest that runs
roughshod over others? Who says it is enough to remove scarcity
thinking? People will always be in strife as long as they
believe there fundamentally is not and never will be enough to
go around.
Real happiness is even less common than common sense. Removing
the roots of war requires more than instilling common sense.
Even if we had a good fix on what common sense is and the means
to instill it.
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