Dumbest Generation?

[pErvinalia]

I didn't mean to imply that literacy/numeracy standards are related to intelligence. I haven't actually watched the video, so I'm not even clear if he's talking about intelligence or educational standards. It's kind of irrelevant to the argument, really, what's causing falling education standards. Either the current generations aren't as smart as other generations or not. If they aren't then that is definitely a concern.

[pErvinalia]

Rereading what I just wrote... I think my own literacy standards could do with a boost..

[SteveB]

Every older generation thinks the newer generation is dumber. Yet our technology and our tolerance for people of different creeds/sexual orientation or what have you invariably improves. Crime is also going down and people are more educated nowadays. I think these are better measures for a society's success rather than if they use Twitter or have a smartphone.

So yah. Bullshit!

[Audley Strange]

Dumber? Certainly not. Honestly why does it really matter to this generation who Hitler was? It is as distant now as the Madhi wars were to those fighting in WW2, how many of them do you think knew who the key players were in that shambles? Then he goes on to explain all the amazing devices that they have now, that they use almost instinctively where even technophiles like myself still sometimes get a bit befuddled by it all? He has a couple of points, regarding the bubble culture which I think are worth a bit more investigation but then teenagers when I was one were generally never off the phones or milling around in clusters anyway also he's right to point the finger at some of the more mush-headed goons that haunt the Humanities, other than that I think he misses the most obvious general complaints about the current "millennial" generation which is that they so full of themselves and think they are utterly entitled.

That however would be a parenting issue, since it definitely does not apply to the entirety to the generation, but a subset.

[Tyrannical]

If we actually are "becoming less intelligent" it is one of the fastest examples of evolution I have ever come across!

It's not evolution, it is population dynamics. Low IQ people are increasing at a higher rate then high IQ people which lowers the IQ average across the species. Certain low IQ populations have increased dramatically in the last 150 years due to imported medical advances and societal changes.

School difficulty has decreased because the current political goal is to allow every child to be able to pass. GW called it no child left behind, even though some children should. A rigorous high school education is too difficult and beyond a certain percentage of students, just a a nuclear physics Phd is beyond a far higher percentage.

What caused the change and dumbing down of schools was the civil rights movement, because based on well known IQ studies a rigorous HS education is beyond a large percentage of certain ethnic groups. This caused calls of racism, and a dumbing down of education systems so that more low IQ people could pass. This was only partially successful because even with the rigor lowered so that low IQ groups could pass the material, they also lacked the drive and discipline to complete it. Which caused standards and discipline to be even lowered.

[Warren Dew]

If we actually are "becoming less intelligent" it is one of the fastest examples of evolution I have ever come across!

It's not evolution, it is population dynamics. Low IQ people are increasing at a higher rate then high IQ people which lowers the IQ average across the species.

How is that not evolution?

Although, in response to Xamonas, we could be becoming less intelligent due to other factors such as nutrition. For example, the average omega 3 to omega 6 essential fatty acid ratio in our diet is worse than it once was, and that balance is essential to development of proper brain function.

[Jason]

Actually, we're brilliant. My generation that is.The next generation will be even better.

If we learn to control evolution by moulding our environment. Consciously and with the betterment of general aptitude. This includes a broad focus.

[cronus]

Actually, we're brilliant. My generation that is.The next generation will be even better.

If we learn to control evolution by moulding our environment. Consciously and with the betterment of general aptitude. This includes a broad focus.

[Jason]

Nothing. I thought this was a pub thread.

[Jason]

It's evolution.. learning to control the environment of an organism is learning to control evolution. People are uniquely adapted to design and use tools to design and use better tools. Learning to use these tools to mould the environment is key. This doesn't mean that playing games is a negative, it just means those games should also teach the skills useful to a person. Obviously the games also have to be fun.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

If we actually are "becoming less intelligent" it is one of the fastest examples of evolution I have ever come across!

It's not evolution, it is population dynamics. Low IQ people are increasing at a higher rate then high IQ people which lowers the IQ average across the species.

How is that not evolution?

Although, in response to Xamonas, we could be becoming less intelligent due to other factors such as nutrition. For example, the average omega 3 to omega 6 essential fatty acid ratio in our diet is worse than it once was, and that balance is essential to development of proper brain function.

I dispute the premise that stupid people are breeding faster, along with the inferred premise that stupid people only have stupid babies.

[piscator]

Eat more salmon!