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It may sound like an insensitive statement, but the cold hard truth is that there are a lot of stupid people in the world, and their stupidity presents a constant danger to others. Some of these people are in positions of power, and some of them have been elected to run our country. A far greater number of them do not have positions of power, but they still have the power to vote, and the power to spread their ideas. We may have heard of "collective intelligence," but there is also "collective stupidity," and it is a force with equal influence on the world. It would not be a stretch to say that at this point in time, stupidity presents an existential threat to America because, in some circles, it is being celebrated.
Although the term "stupidity" may seem derogatory or insulting, it is actually a scientific concept that refers to a specific type of cognitive failure. It is important to realize that stupidity is not simply a lack of intelligence or knowledge, but rather a failure to use one's cognitive abilities effectively. This means that you can be "smart" while having a low IQ, or no expertise in anything. It is often said that "you can't fix stupid," but that is not exactly true. By becoming aware of the limitations of our natural intelligence or our ignorance, we can adjust our reasoning, behavior, and decision-making to account for our intellectual shortcomings.
To demonstrate that stupidity does not mean having a low IQ, consider the case of Richard Branson, the billionaire CEO of Virgin Airlines, who is one of the world's most successful businessmen. Branson has said that he was seen as the dumbest person in school, and has admitted to having dyslexia, a learning disability that affects one's ability to read and correctly interpret written language. But it wasn't just reading comprehension that was the problem — "Math just didn't make sense to me," Branson has said. "I would certainly have failed an IQ test."
[...] We are all victims of the Dunning-Kruger effect to some degree. An inability to accurately assess our own competency and wisdom is something we see in both liberals and conservatives. While being more educated typically decreases our Dunning-Kruger tendencies, it does not eliminate them entirely. That takes constant cognitive effort in the form of self-awareness, continual curiosity, and a healthy amount of skepticism. By cultivating this type of awareness in ourselves, and making an effort to spread it to others, we can fight back against the stupidity crisis that threatens our nation.
Interesting stuff from cognitive neuroscientist
(Score: 5, Interesting) by MIRV888 on Saturday February 25, @04:51AM (7 children)
It seems to me that a better understanding of the scientific method and peer review would help.
I realize I am knowledgeable (not an expert) about certain fields and trades. I also realize I don't know jack shit about a whole lot.
That being the case I have to weed out the BS experts and find people who are truly knowledgeable and vetted in their area of expertise.
The internet makes that very difficult sometimes. A bunch of hacks telling people what they want to hear vs the unpleasant truth offered by sciency people is a tough sell.
I think a better baseline education of the sciences would go a long way towards weeding out the hacks and snake oil salespeople.
My 2 cents
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Saturday February 25, @07:29AM (2 children)
Actually the schools doing a solid teaching of logical thinking would already go a long way. Add enough understanding of statistics that you cannot easily be lied to by using correct but misleading statistics, and the snake oil salespeople would at least have a much harder time.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Saturday February 25, @10:12AM (1 child)
The question would be, who can or would want to teach it? Do you think the average teacher even could teach that? And if, is there a political will to have an electorate that can see through lies?
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Saturday February 25, @10:32AM
Actually it is not needed that the average teacher can teach that; it only needs to be the teacher for the subject who needs to be able to teach that (and the subject would have to be mandatory for all students). Of course if done consequently, over time also the average teacher would be able to teach it, as all of them would have gone though that education in their own school time.
Now the political will is of course a completely different question.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Saturday February 25, @08:36AM (2 children)
This is a popularized version of how scientists evaluate new things. It's Carl Sagan's "baloney detection kit".
https://www3.nd.edu/~ghaeffel/Baloney.pdf [nd.edu]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 25, @10:28AM (1 child)
What the hell is with the formating of that PDF?
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Saturday February 25, @04:18PM
Looks like it was formatted for display on a cell phone screen, if I had to take a guess.
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 25, @03:37PM
It's nothing to do with education. It's brainwashing.
People just have to remember, or be shown examples of, people not accepting the BULLSHIT that we presently lap up. The inherited wealth billionaires who talk about working hard. The people born on 3rd base with a silver spoon in their mouth who lecture on pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. Then praising themselves and creating laws that... favor themselves. Duh. This is some bullshit, folks, and we as a culture still fall for it - just look at who we elect. Our champions are millionaires from name-brand families who got all the helping hands available, to the detriment of you, your kids and millions of others.