Human capability peaked before 1975 and has since declined

Bruce Charlton's Miscellany ^ | June 22, 2010 | Bruce Charlton

[xjcsa]

I suspect that human capability reached its peak or plateau around 1965-75 – at the time of the Apollo moon landings – and has been declining ever since.

This may sound bizarre or just plain false, but the argument is simple. That landing of men on the moon and bringing them back alive was the supreme achievement of human capability, the most difficult problem ever solved by humans. 40 years ago we could do it – repeatedly – but since then we have *not* been to the moon, and I suggest the real reason we have not been to the moon since 1972 is that we cannot any longer do it. Humans have lost the capability.

[Seven plus One]

Right now, the Cassini mission is discovering amazing new and interesting things that we never even knew existed.

Oh, back when we were smart, and had the technology...

One of the really cool things about Science is that it helps us accomplish heretofore unimagined tasks, and in the process, we discover even more stuff that needs to be explained, and then done- ever more affordably. Saturn-V rockets were way cool, but not cost effective. Prestige for its own sake can be extremely expensive, especially when there's a missile gap to be abated. Nostalgia is even worse; if our goals are behind us, then we have no future. It seems that the older I get, the less I know. Not because I'm getting feeble, or that humanity is getting dumber, it's because in absolute terms, the pool of new stuff to consider is expanding at a hyperbolic rate. Too much for my pea brain to process- even Wernher Von Braun would crack if he didn't specialize to a "T".

I've noticed that over the last decade or so the Universe appears finer and more elegant by the day. That ain't no accident.

[BfloGuy]

Nah... read the article.

Read the article? You've got to be kidding. No one on FR actually reads the article.

The same people who rail for hours about Congress not reading the bills they pass into law feel completely free to waste time and bandwidth pontificating about articles they're sure they understand after having read a one sentence excerpt.

Sigh.

[Gordon Greene]

“No one on FR actually reads the article.”

Right you are... I’ve caught myself doing the same thing then feeling like an idiot after catching up... it’s an easy trap to fall into since we’re conditioned to perk up on a soundbite, but it’s also what’s leading us down a very dark path.

If we conservatives don’t start reading past the headlines I’m afraid we’re all done for, in my humble opinion. Knowledge sometimes is actually power.

[Washi]

I'm not sure that I agree that we've lost the intelligence to achieve.

I do, however, agree that as a culture we no longer strive for exceptionalism, in fact competition is frowned upon.
We have a reduced sense of pride in a job well done and a reduced sense of shame when we don't meet our responsibilities.
We implement diversity for diversity's sake.
We fear lawsuits more than we desire success.

I don't see us making a comeback.

Wow. What a downer.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The left side of the bell curve is out breeding the right side, the only way things can go is down!

[Frenchtown Dan]

“I’ve noticed that over the last decade or so the Universe appears finer and more elegant by the day. That ain’t no accident.”

Certainly not, no accident.
The Universe is appearing more beautiful each day. Because we are seeing more of it now than ever before, thanks to Hubble, and a score of new telescopes that allow us to see some amazing sights, and thanks to the Internet because we can instantly share them.