From: Anders Sandberg (nv91-asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Thu Dec 26 1996 - 02:49:06 MST
On Wed, 25 Dec 1996, Michael Lorrey wrote:
> Anders Sandberg wrote:
> > Yes, I think this a quite common problem. The cause seems to be that we
> > are surrounded by a "stupidity culture", where intelligence is seen as
> > something non-normal (not abnormal or unusual, just not normal). It would
> > be interesting to try to find out why.
> >
> Easy. Look at baboon or chimp behavioral psychology. I am convinced that
> as we grow from infants to adults we go through behavioral evolutions
> symbolic of different stages in our species evolution from primitive
> apes, just as our fetal biological evolution is analogous to our
> evolution from one celled animals up to our present stage.
Be careful with the "phylogeny recapitulates ontology" idea, it is not
strictly true. But on the other hand, we *are* apes, and our behavior
isn't that different from our cousins.
> Schoolyard bullies exihibit classic alpha male behaviors, and enforce
> genetic purity to the average to prevent possible genetically weak
> individuals from impinging on the troops gene pool and thereby
> threatening its survival.
This form of selection is very out of fashion among evolutionary
biologists today. Note that if it was true, then alpha males would *kill*
inferior individuals, or at least expunge them from the group. This don't
happen.
What we see is the establishment of a typical primiate pecking order, with
an alpha male at the top, beneath him a few liutenants (that some day may
become his competitors), and then a social ladder down to the pecking
chicken. Compare this to the structure of a normal corporation for an
amusing/chilling similarity. At least among humans there exist an escape
from this social order, the office of shaman/holy madman/fool: just
outside the group, accepted and still not accepted, so different that
social status cannot be applied, necessary because he possesses skills
with dealing with the "supernatural". Compare this with the classical
image of the hacker.
Your explanation doesn't explain why we have a "stupidity culture"; that
high social status becomes correlated with strength is obvious, but why
can't we have strong *and* smart alpha males? As it is now, intelligence
either decreases status (perhaps as a defense reaction?) or pushes
individuals into the shaman direction (perhaps because that is a safe
place to be smart in).
I wonder if the stupidity culture is very old. That people who are
different are mistrusted has been true for all of history, but since when
are smart people seen as different? I wonder if this isn't a very recent
phenomenon, perhaps even post-WW II.
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Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
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