You'll be shocked to find that the scientists are from an Ivy League university. Who would have seen that coming?
Next week, we'll see a study that shows that scientists don't understand political resiliency, and the best way to ensure against catastrophic failure of governance brought on by an inbred political elite who think they're smarter than anyone else. I think that the dateline will be from Athens or something.
Idiots. Never read Buckley on who is best fit to govern.
"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern."
ReplyDelete(Lord Acton, and for my money it's a better line than the more famous "Power corrupts....")
And not only that, it's acceptable to lie and make up stuff for the common good of the people. Well, ok, since it's not actually true and just made up, it isn't actually for the people's good, it's more for the climate scientist's good. But it's not unethical. We're better than you, mm-kay?
ReplyDeleteJudging from the comments at the Guardian, it's ok to lie about anything to do with climate change. To say it's not right is to say it's not right to lie about anything at any time and that's just crazy talk.
I agree with Buckley's point, especially because when he said it Harvard had a stranglehold on Government.
ReplyDelete"He and colleague Justin Kruger, formerly of Cornell and now of New York University, have demonstrated again and again that people are self-delusional when it comes to their own intellectual skills. "
ReplyDeletePot meet kettle, yo!
I agree with Edward de Bono.
ReplyDeleteThinking is a Skill... That unfortunately very few acidemics practice or teach.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsDq5OgcrwI&feature=youtube_gdata_player
:-(
Seems there's some new "scientific" study that says that people are too dumb to govern themselves.
ReplyDeleteThey're right. We are.
However, if the average human (including the average academic) is unfit to govern himself, how could anyone possibly conclude he's fit to govern others?
It's not that it's impossible, just that it's highly unlikely. Look at how political elections work in America, where information is highly available, research is easy, and the average education level for voters is higher than the vast majority of the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteIt's a dog and pony show.
Honestly, politics isn't rocket science. People vote on an emotional basis rather than a rational one though, and have since the Greeks were using bits of clay pots to vote with.
Mark, I can't really disagree. All I can add is that I'm pretty unconvinced that most scientists are calmly dispassionate and rational about many things outside their (typically quite narrow) field of expertise.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, I'm unconvinced that they'd be a rational upgrade.
Indeed. Philosophers state that there should be a philosopher king, scientists state that we'd be better off if they were running things, military types with a dictatorial bent state that we just need governing with a firm hand...
ReplyDeleteIt's like there's a common thread in all of it.
Personally I'm holding out for rule by AI.
Borepatch sez: All I can add is that I'm pretty unconvinced that most scientists are calmly dispassionate and rational about many things outside their (typically quite narrow) field of expertise.
ReplyDeleteI'd dare to venture that most scientists are passionate and irrational about many things inside their field of expertise.
The most obvious example being climate science, but nearly every scientist has at least a little ego tied up in everything they release for public consumption.
And I just read the article - it's too bad the researchers stopped short of saying "this explains the election of Obama and the implementation of all his (at best) mediocre leadership and policies.
ReplyDeleteAn argument could be made that people are indeed unfit to govern themselves. So...
ReplyDeleteWake me when the angels appear, eh? Seeing as how all this government-by-people nonsense really does suck pretty hard.
If people can not rule themselves, then who can rule others?
ReplyDeleteI can't rail too hard against Cornell - Dad did some of his post-doctoral work there, but that was back when the big money crop was chickens and hence his transferal there for animal science. Can't say how things are now, but I do remember,
ReplyDelete"From the shores of Lake Cayuga there comes an awful smell; some will say it's Lake Cayuga, others say Cornell."
TIFWIW
I agree. People, as a rule, are unintelligent. They lack the capacity to make wise decisions. That's why we must get rid of government and any and all other means of subsidizing foolish decisions, so that the fools and idiots are free to destroy themselves and the few of us with good heads on our shoulders can have awesome lives.
ReplyDeleteRe: Josh K.
ReplyDeleteAnd combining that with the Dunning-Krueger effect, if you are an expert thinker, no lesser thinker can tell. They just go, "This thinker disagrees, therefore they are wrong."
The instinct is to take this as evidence that one is a good thinker. Instead it suggests that everyone who disagrees may be a better thinker.