This phenomena can be funny, sad, frightening, often all at the same time. As somewhat of an idiot myself its got me wondering about my kind. Why did we evolve to be a fairly large % of society? (What %? How would I know?) I guess some idiots were born stupid and others lazily allowed themselves to become stupid (perhaps through stupid decision making.) Is it possible for an idiot to live a meaningful life? By meaningful I guess I mean the way a talented, moral doctor could be said to have lived a meaningful life. I guess 'meaningful life' is hard to define. I hope we have a greater purpose in life than to be "The People of Wal-mart."

Did you finally get to watch idiocracy?

We started as apes. We've come pretty far.

Its simple: idiots tend to breed more because they are less career focused.

A woman might turn 38 and realize she wanted kids but put advancing her career in front, now it starts turning into a health gamble to have another child at that age -- though thats changing these days due to nutrition and supplementation.

Ya, maybe we're just procreating stimulus response machines who should just keep on truckin.

Do I get to be the first to mention the Flynn effect? As fun as it is for you to complain about the cretins reproducing, people are getting smarter across the world, and certainly in the US.

As far as I'm concerned idiots exist just to get in my way when I'm driving.

Many think we are getitng dumber.
http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...cist-thinks-so

Certainly, its easy to see that many are more intellectually laz

Everyone is going to their own definition of a meaningful life. People make different decisions for different reasons, applying some "meaningful" criteria when making life decisions has always seen a little stupid to me.

However I see what you mean. You're looking at it from an outsider's perspective where a' meaningful life' is one that has contributed towards society in a positive way. Sure then you are going to get people who are detriments to society, criminals, degens, etc.

I would however argue that most people, including 'idiots' have a positive effect on society simply by obeying norms. They grease the wheels so to speak, providing the background for the 'talented moral' people to work. If everyone were talented and moral, we'd have the same issues, just the so called 'idiots' would be more talented and moral then now.

I don't think intelligence has anything to do with it tbh. Easier to say a doctor is living a more meaningful life then a ditch digger on the surface, but you don't know about the massive gambling debt the doctor is running up or the group the ditch digger runs for reintroducing criminals to society. I wouldn't get sucked in by such thinking.

I don't think that poker players ought to be making judgments regarding other ppl's idiocy, tbh, bec we see the idiot side of nearly everybody a lot of the time and that becomes our default opinion.

I just read some study that said because of gene mutations people are actually getting dumber, and that we were smarter thousands of years ago

Link to study if it is online?

Because it's got electrolytes!

post 8

Its what plants crave!

Op it seems you are talking about two separate topics. I will try to address both but only briefly.
1) You seem to imply, their is a pandemic of stupidity that will be on the rise. I believe if this is the case, it would mainly be due to the more "educated" an individual is the less likely they would have more kids. Just look at western countries like Canada that from I last checked. Are facing a crisis, that is not making enough children to meet the death rate. Instead relying on immigrants to increase the population.
2)You ask if someone can be fullfilled if they lack intelligence. I have had this discussion with people before, and have come to the conclusion it should be easier for them to attain fullfillment as they don't expect as much out of themselves. Going with the adage ignorance is bliss.

Thanks. Interesting article, but I'll wait till his hypothesis is better supported by the field before I take it seriously tho.

With regards to this, I may be misinterpreting the term, but doesn't regression towards the mean imply two 'idiots' will on average have a child less of an 'idiot' then themselves. Ignoring other factors, environment, socioeconomic of course.

If we were to make some assumptions that immigrants are more likely to be educated and intelligent not so much of a problem.

Ignorance is bliss, but actually my question was is it possible for an idiot to live a meaningful life? Or am I splitting hairs?

What is meaning is what it means to the person. The isiot means what they can understand but it matters to them. Just because you thonk it is not meaning. That does not make it mean less or meaningless. You have to look at other point of views. Life is about the experience. You might get 16 color in your crayon box or the 100 colors or more. Its what you make of it. Human emotion and experience is not an IQ chart.

Well, thousands of years ago, people were worshipping some dude that the Romans hung on a cross. Go figure.

Wait a minute.....

Isn't that subjective to the person living it? Is there a test I can take, that says I'm fulfilled? As it's an inner realization, it just seems it would be more easily accomplished. I believe they would be more likely to be fulfilled with complacency than someone who realizes they are capable of doing more but aren't for whatever reason. Are we assuming that this person can rationalize their limitations in accordance with others that are deemed more "successful"? How do you deem "success"?

Actualie society is more accepting of gay people now. You can see evidence such as gay marry. And the gay is smarter as shown by their better fashion sense.

I wonder if stupid people look around and are happy to see a world so full of intelligence.

Seriously though, I think if you have the good fortune of a higher-than-average intelligence level, spend less time bitching about those who don't and do something productive with your gifts.

Im smarter being American in my blood but a lot come off a boat that wobbles they're brains loose.