Sunday 5 January 2014

The five (uncorrelated) components of intellectual achievement - all declining

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1. Intelligence

2. Honesty

3. Creativity

4. Knowledge

5. Diligence

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Notes: 

1. Intelligence is declining in most (not all) groups, and so is diligence (hard work, conscientiousness) - but there are other components of achievement which can compensate in terms of leading to sustained or greater achievement.

2. Honesty - the habit of truth, in all things, large and small. This is related to...

4. Knowledge - an accumulation of knowledge is very valuable BUT that knowledge must be of real things, true things. Modern society is characterized by vast knowledge of lies, nonsense, trivia etc - which is worse than useless - much, much better to know just a few true, real things.

3. Creativity, whatever it is, it is a gift - mostly. But it can be used or not, it can be amplified (by work habits, lifestyle etc) or suppressed.

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HOWEVER - it can be seen that in modern society we have:

1. Dysgenics lowering intelligence and diligence.

2. A culture of lying; and which both dis-values and suppresses real creativity.

3. A culture full of addictive and distracting lies, trivia, and evil (reality denying) stuff - this utterly overwhelming knowledge.

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In a nutshell: We Are Doing Everything Wrong.

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3 comments:

The Crow said...

The best thing you can do now is smile indulgently.
Forgive 'em, for they know not what they do.
Personally, I feel forgiveness is a bit much to ask. Non-committal is probably more do-able.
It is, what it is, they are, what they are. And as for me: I yam what I yam.
I'm Popeye The Sailor man.


Wonder said...

In which groups is intelligence not declining?

And who is the 'We' you mean who are doing everything wrong?

If some groups have increasing or stable intelligence then it looks like things could be going very right... for them.

Bruce Charlton said...

@Wonder - Some of the more fertile groups, probably. Mormons, for example.