Are we getting dumber?

[Zazubat]

If the sun ISN'T a star, what IS it?

 

...That is, unbelievable.

It's a sun of course!

But that kind of proves that we need to do something.

[Volcanism]

That's a lack of education in a non necessary field. Knowing the sun is classified as a star doesn't help in our survival as a species.

[Tentacruel]

To be honest, knowing the sun is a star, while common knowledge is more like trivia than basic knowledge required to operate in society. 

 

Book smarts =/= intelligence. 

[ListenToLife]

Tenta's got a point.

 

I think a summarized thing would be: Intelligence is going up, actual knowledge is going down. And possibly Common Sense, as well. And motivation.

[ihop]

What will knowing the sun is a star bring us? It could be a cheese for all we care, the most important thing is practical knowledge e.g. knowing if we stay out in the sun we will get burnt.

[Aix]

Intelligence is what separates us from other animals.

[FreelancerRaiko]

Depends on what you mean by "Dumber". There's a difference between wisdom and intelligence. Not only that, what you propose is an example where fighting makes you "dumb", when in reality it is a natural conflict. At least mankind can fight over things other than just food or water, and their conflicts can actually mean something.

 

With the advent of the internet age, mankind has experienced drastic shifts. We have people like Anonymous acting as terrorists in order to justify their own issues, we have people who go on facebook who don't even know that the Titanic was a real life event, we have people who are foolish enough to believe that being an admin or a moderator on some silly site makes you better than others. And do we even need to bring up the amount of wretched things we can see on the internet (*cough*4chan*cough*).

 

However, we also have people who have grouped together for the exchange of knowledge and ideals, we have charities going around all the time, and we have ways to interact with one another more so than ever before and to share common interests and ideas. Even this topic is an example of that. People constantly use it to develop comraderie with others of similiar interest.

 

 

So is mankind getting "dumber"? Rather, I think mankind is evolving. Not in the scientific sense but in the actual sense that the idea of "humanity" is going through an evolutionary stage wherein both its negative and positive qualities are being exemplified and growing beyond what was previously comprehended. Different ideals and sects are becoming stronger in their conviction and beliefs, while others are letting their lesser aspects and desires run rampant.

 

We have conflicts abound and honestly it's just the natural state of humanity. It far outclasses any animal and defies all thoughts of conventional instinct while still having to struggle and conflict with itself.

 

Like the old saying goes "If there are three people in a room, there will be six different points of view." I don't think it's so much mankind has now become "dumber" but is shifting dramatically. However, I think that the age of the internet has blinded people in many illusionary forms about the way reality actually works, what is truly right and wrong, and what true wisdom actually is.

 

However, since mankind is a continually growing being it will inevitably learn from its mistakes and continue to grow as itself, something seperated from nature and its 'humanity' will continue to grow and evolve over time and cause much conflict. The more the conflict, the greater the knowledge and wisdom that can be detained.

 

 

Short version for the 'tl;dr' crowd: You don't have much to worry about. Humanity will correct itself and continue to grow in due time.

[Volcanism]

Actual knowledge is going up. People aren't as smart as you want, but compare that to 100 years ago. People are more educated.

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

Ouch, hey, why don't we just destroy Africa with a giant bomb? Then we can all be happy!

Seriously though, that's a lot of money.

Around 100 cold-blooded holocausts of impoverished and defenseless people comprised mostly of women and children isn't a very funny joke.

Yours was not only the stupidest post I've seen in over 4 years on YCM, it was also the stupidest expression of thought that I've ever had the gross displeasure of encountering. Confuckulations.

[Tourmaline]

Around 100 cold-blooded holocausts of impoverished and defenseless people comprised mostly of women and children isn't a very funny joke.

Yours was not only the stupidest post I've seen in over 4 years on YCM, it was also the stupidest expression of thought that I've ever had the gross displeasure of encountering. Confuckulations.

Enough experience around him, and you'll see his humor is often in terrible taste.

I don't find people are getting dumber as much as values changing and adaptation being made to others who change less. Education is certainly a better indicator of motivation than intelligence to a degree, considering it is wholly attaining new knowledge, retaining it and then applying it in theory or practice, depending on where you are. That is, I mean, that doing well in part of a class is about as impressive as remembering an artist's discography.