I posit that humankind is becoming less intelligent with the education of today, not more. I further posit, that the intelligence of people in the U.S. from it’s founding up through the 1800’s and into the early 1900’s was head and shoulders above what we see today.
My priest always says about atheists..if they’re so convinced that there’s NO God, then why do they worry so much when others pray?
I believe we are in an interesting pandemic of what I like to call “arrogant ignorance”.
Too many people today don’t know what they don’t know. And are too arrogant to know it.
Agreed.
If you consider that a biological definition of intelligence must include the proliferation of one's genetic material (e.g., reproduction), the Western world has become decidedly less intelligent over the past century.
Agreed.
Reading the letters home from soldiers during The War Between the States attests to that!
I would disagree. I don’t think a lack of intelligence is the problem — I think arrogance is the problem.
I would suggest that secular “intelligence” abounds, and that “intelligence” breeds arrogance ... which leads to athiesm, because arrogant people become less able to fathom anything greater than themselves (or humanity generally).
“Intelligence” may very well lead to liberalism for the same reason ... as people determine that, due to their “intelligence”, they are more capable of determining what is best for the great unwashed.
SnakeDoc
I posit that you are wrong.
While those that made up the upper trades/professional class were probably heads above those in the same professions today in learning, that has nothing to do with intelligence.
As far as education, it isn’t even close. Today’s population, for all its failings, is infinitely better educated and literate. I don’t know how you could measure it from the get go, but the National Assessment of Adult literacy has a chart showing that in 1870 the illiteracy of the total population was 20% with Black Americans at 79%. In 1979 it fell to .6% overall with Black Americans at 1.6%.
Now the social content and competency level on subjects taught by the education Socialists is a differnt topic. All they need is the right information.
No need to posit... there is a grade school test from the 1800’s which most teachers and college graduates would fail.
I couldn’t possibly agree more! Everything you’ve stated here is EXACTLY what I’ve been saying for some time. An age of enlightenment? Hardly.
I recently had a discussion with a colleague in an offshoot of the entertainment industry who claims he is a closet atheist. He suggested he hasn’t “come out” because of the backlash he’d suffer...from colleagues...in the entertainment industry.
I wrote him recently about how I didn’t feel atheism could stand philosophically, because it would demand a universal knowledge of something no one has proof of. His response to me was “ill take science and reason over superstition any day—!
I love this response. He completely misunderstood or ignored everything I said about philosophy and recognizing logically what can and cannot be proven...and genuinely believes he’s on the side of reason. And I continue to be unfamiliar with the science that disproves the existence of God that he mentions.
No, we are living in a dark, dark age, where sound bytes have replaced knowledge. People believe something, but cannot define why they believe it, or even adequately defend their beliefs. I believe posterity will mark this time period as relativism run amok, where every man could believe whatever he chose, and be justified in knowing nothing.
-B
Atheists have been trying to mass murder and oppress people who express beleif in God for a long time now. You would think, they would start to question their own lack of belief. Everyone is crazy but them?