Posted on 04/05/2020 6:21:44 AM PDT by Hojczyk
Indeed one can see that these academico-bureaucrats who feel entitled to run our lives aren’t even rigorous, whether in medical statistics or policymaking. They can’t tell science from scientism — in fact in their image-oriented minds scientism looks more scientific than real science. (For instance it is trivial to show the following: much of what the Cass-Sunstein-Richard Thaler types — those who want to “nudge” us into some behavior — much of what they would classify as “rational” or “irrational” (or some such categories indicating deviation from a desired or prescribed protocol) comes from their misunderstanding of probability theory and cosmetic use of first-order models
They are also prone to mistake the ensemble for the linear aggregation of its components as we saw in the chapter extending the minority rule.
The IYI pathologizes others for doing things he doesn’t understand without ever realizing it is his understanding that may be limited. He thinks people should act according to their best interests and he knows their interests, particularly if they are “red necks” or English non-crisp-vowel class who voted for Brexit. When plebeians do something that makes sense to them, but not to him, the IYI uses the term “uneducated”. What we generally call participation in the political process, he calls by two distinct designations: “democracy” when it fits the IYI, and “populism” when the plebeians dare voting in a way that contradicts his preferences. While rich people believe in one tax dollar one vote, more humanistic ones in one man one vote, Monsanto in one lobbyist one vote, the IYI believes in one Ivy League degree one-vote, with some equivalence for foreign elite schools and PhDs as these are needed in the club.
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
Anytime you hear the phrase “The science is settled” you are dealing with an imbecile.
Also. https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/how-to-beat-the-intellectual-yet-idiot/
Defining the Intellectual Yet Idiot
You can read Taleb’s satirical piece, but here’s my quick summary of the characteristics of IYIs:
Education: Almost always attend “elite universities,” such as the Ivy League or Oxbridge. NOTE: Most students at these schools are not IYIs, but a decent percentage qualify.
Industries: Tend to have experience mostly in academia, the government, “think tanks,” and the mainstream media.
Skin in the Game: None. They advocate for or against policies from which they never feel the negative effects, making such advocacy meaningless.
Media: Like The New Yorker and TED talks (ugh).
And, most importantly, the IYI never deadlifts (more on why that’s important).
How is this any different than scientific Communism?
Lots of “smart” people ran autcratic governments in totalitarian states. Those states all run into the ground econonically because of the folly of thinking that humans can ever be bright enough to wield absolute authority with any real enlightenment.
“Intellectual Yet Idiot”
I would differ in his choice of the word “yet”. A useful definition of “intellectual” would be “someone aping an intellect”.
On the plus side, now the entire world knows what a REAL hockey stick looks like.
Stupid politicians making life and death and economic decisions for their citizens
One prime example: drug to keep early infected at home instead of overloading hospitals is outlawed, only given if you are admitted to hospital, by then your are to far gone for it to be effective. You cant go back to work until I say so, this they know overrules trumps plan. Using executive order to confiscate ventilators that will almost certainly be needed moving forward and redistribution them where I may need them in the future. I guess your future is not my future
The word intellectual should never be misunderstood as being consistent with creativity and being intuitive. Nor should anyone who presents with a PhD in the non STEM subjects automatically be looked upon as wise or learned.
There are two types of evil: the instigators/perpetrators of evil and the useful idiot followers/sympathizers.
Scientific Communism is a subset.
Such as Lysenkoism.
The only scientists allowed to do real, truthful work were the Nuclear researchers. Why you may ask?
[I]n the last days...evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 2 Tim 3:13.
“They” are simply not intellectually honest. Not only with humankind but with themselves.
What a brilliant observation! And well said!
I spent sixteen years in the ivory towers of academia, in some of America's greatest universities, and worked for countless years with some of America's most highly credentialed people. I developed a keen sense of who among them are intelligent and who are versions of the idiot savant.
Some in academia are truly wise and brilliant.
Some are stupid but excel in a specific area of accomplishment.
Some are somewhere in between.
There are some really stupid people in academia. Some of them are praised and lauded. Some have impressive credentials. They are too stupid to know they're stupid.
There are a lot of intellectuals who seem like idiots but they are operating on hidden agendas. Take this latest pandemic bioterrorism which has been thrust upon the world. Notice all the intellectuals - Fauci, Brix, Cuomo, etc. - who are fiddling while the the virus burns across the globe. Don’t tell me these so called smart intellectuals aren’t operating on their own hidden agendas. International war criminals are what they are and, in due time, they should be brought before an international court of justice for crimes against humanity.
GREAT post. Thanks. HOORAY Nasim Nicholas Taleb.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAxEQYqo7no
Asymmetric war vs. we the people.
bkmk
Unconscious Incompetence.
Four levels of learning:
When it is muttered in my presence, my response - with a straight, stern face - is “Are you stupid?”
Nice, but unfortunately that only applies to normal people and cannot describe higher education in-general.
Unfortunately many students enter their areas of study with preconceived biases and are instructed by tenured academics with the same. Thus we have the following:
1. Unconscious Incompetence
2. Conscious Incompetence
3. Accredited Incompetence
Worse, “herd incompetence” installs these people as bureaucratic and political leaders who craft policy and make law.
I label it “viral stupidity”, aka Dumbassery or - in light of the current climate of crisis - “Epidemic of Dumbass.”
I call it out at every opportunity. In China I would have been “disappeared” long ago...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.