“Rabid dogs will snarl at bits of trash, and other dogs will stay away from them. There’s some sort of security in being stupid or insane.” -anonymous.
I’m depressively convinced that there’s an element in human nature which allows very unintelligent people to gain lots of power.
Supposedly, this suggestion has ethical problems of elitism. But I’m betting that those marked in history as tyrants have consistently low IQs. I also get the impression that in a lot of industry, immediate supervisors also have consistently low IQs. I think those immediate supervisors are miniature examples of what happens in politics.
I tend to assume that smarter people are less likely to simply manipulate the masses for their own pure benefit because even if they exploit things, their goal is still to leave a legacy for improvement. Smart people can still be cruel, fraudulant, and conceited. But to me the real political problems are not wrapped in some extreme confusing conspiracy. They’re really just like clenched fists having their way.
Is it simply that the large body of less intelligent people find kindred spirit in those like them, and that’s why they bring them to power? Is it maybe that for intelligence, humans sacrifice some social integrity? Or that much intelligence is lost to overanalysis? Or maybe, humans with more intelligence tend to be scattered while slow and steady wins the race. This is probably what wisdom is all about. The ability to apply knowledge, more than simply pursue it.
I don’t imagine a lot of opposition when I say that the most powerful people in the world (at least legitametely) are very stupid. Do stupid people consistently gain power? If so, why?
thats just ridiculous. while there are a large number of less inteligent people throughout history who have wielded high power, its wrong to suggest that this is the norm.
“I tend to assume that smarter people are less likely to simply manipulate the masses for their own pure benefit”.
why? theres no reason to assume this at all, smarter people are just as likely to to manipulate the masses for their own pure benefit. Rupert Murdoch is an incredibly intelligent man with a stagering amount of power with which he manipulates the masses, thats just one example.
“I don’t imagine a lot of opposition when I say that the most powerful people in the world (at least legitametely) are very stupid”
such as who? please don’t reply “Goerge Bush” because that would be shortsighted. he is more intelligent than popular belief would allow, despite the many “bushisms” he has come out with over the years. and anyway, it is not so much him as those around him that wield the real power. dick cheyney and donald rumsfeld for instance, whom noone could argue are unintelligent, aswell as all those others behind the scenes and in big business, wield more power than most other people on the planet.
i think you would be wrong to bet that most people in history labelled tyrants had low IQs. Stalin was a clever, crafty man who span a very intricate web of conceit and conspiracy whilst in power, aswell as having anyone killed who he saw as a threat obviously. even in getting himself into power he had to work hard as Lenin stipulated before his death that on no account should stalin succeed him.
perhaps what you mean is that what these people have done, or do, seem stupid, or simply that you disagree with their actions. i absolutely agree that the actions of many many powerful people are dispicable and nasty, but to akin this with stupidity is dangerously wrong.
Yes, it is ridicolous.
Powerful people are usually smarter, thats how they were able to gain their power.
Naturally they will have lots of enemies too. I doubt you like your boss, but who does like someone with power over himself?