What are the social, economic, and political consequences of convincing people who are dull-normal at best, and downright stupid a lot of the time, that they are just as smart as everyone else? And then urging them to vote?
How can a group of people prosper if the stupid are not willing to be led by the dull, the dull by the bright, or the bright by the brilliant? And why would they accept being led if they thought they themselves were as smart as the brilliant--or at least the bright.
It's farging brilliant! (<-- That is the only exclamation point I have used this year.) It's a virus, analagous to a computer virus, that will destroy a functioning society if successfully introduced into the cognosphere.
My mind is blown. Or maybe I'm just one of the stupid, drooling through life in thrall to delusions of adequacy.
I'd have to say that the average guy on the street is smarter than everyone in DC combined.
They should’ve broken this down by liberals/conservatives.
I’m not your average American amigo ...
Wat u say?
If anyone wants to read something amusing on this topic, read:
https://www.math.ucdavis.edu/~suh/metacognition.pdf
I think 55% is pretty close. The difference could be due to many factors including 1) what is average, 2) What is intelligence and 3) who is American.
Is average mean, median or mode? Is average within 1 standard deviation?
Is intelligence simply IQ or is it common sense? Is intelligence retention of facts and figures or is the ability to use information?
Who is the average American? My neighbors? Does it include the children or the senile?
All in all, the results at 55% sound reasonable.
They might be right depending on whether they mean average person or average IQ.
The average IQ does not equate to 50% of people above and 50% of people below.
What amazes me is that 45% of people think they are below average thinkers.
And ALL of those “below average” vote.
And the really SMART ones stay home if the “other” Presidential candidate doesn’t agree with them on ALL TEN items on their checklist.
They might be right depending on whether they mean average person or average IQ.
The average IQ does not equate to 50% of people above and 50% of people below.
What amazes me is that 45% of people think they are below average thinkers.
IQ Test:
1. Do you regularly read ‘People’ magazine?
2. Are you a registered Democrat?
3. Do you think the people on NPR are smarter than you are?
0 Yes answers = Above average intelligence.
1 Yes answer = Average intelligence.
2 Yes answers = Below average intelligence.
3 Yes answers = Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Stop staring at the sun. Concentrate on breathing all by yourself.
Using 2012 Presidential election voting stats as my yardstick I’d categorize the “average” American as being intellectually deficient.I consider myself,OTOH,to be nothing more than (and nothing less than) reasonably intelligent,far from stupid *and* far from being a genius.IOW,I’m smarter than the “average” American.
For the sake of arguments I know I am smarter than half of the country who supported Bammy. Out of the other half I am smarter than half of those because they are weak-wristed, back door amnesty lovers or no stance libertarians. So the way I look at it I am in the top 25% from the start.
The more that I know tells me the more I don't know.
Ergo, the learning never stops.
5.56mm
-PJ
This strikes me as faux humility. If you've got a doctoral degree, you have good reason to think you're much more intelligent than average.