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IQ Equilibrium Or Just Too Cool For School?

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posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:19 PM
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As a starting point I think there is one thing we can all agree on, and the point seems to be that the human IQ, or intelligence overall is deteriorating. It's true, just look around and don't fool yourselves otherwise. I want us to come to a definitive answer, as to why this is the case. Or at least seems to look this way.

Looking at animals, especially the more potentially intelligent ones, they seem to be getting smarter. Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my behalf, but I'm sure we have all noticed a small increase in the flux of "animals are getting smarter" posts.

It leads me to question wether environmental factors are to blame. Is it our technological advancements that we force upon the world the reason for their advancements and adaptations? It is their right to this world as well as ours to coexist, and to coexist with humans the ability to evolve is paramount. Maybe I digress on animals though, surely the problem lies with us.

Everyone should be asking the question, why overall is the world's population getting increasingly less smart? Yes there are some exceptionally smart people out there, but on the whole It's looking grim. We may say that It's down to fluoride in the water supply, chemicals added to air or food, TV and subliminals, perhaps even idolising the wrong people. That last one sounds quite possible. How many people idolise Stephen Hawking to let's say Lady GaGa.

Nowadays kids don't even want to do math, or science. Some do but the majority don't. These core subjects are what drive us forward in our search for answers to major questions, and everything we have around us is harnessed from knowledge gained. Are these subjects just too hard for the majority to grasp, even the simple concepts? In countries like China and India, they seem to buck the trend. Maybe our answer lies there, what do we do differently here in the western world? It seems there are numerous answers to this question, but what is the major factor?

When did dumb become the new cool? The programming must have came from somewhere. There must be a continuous message being drummed since who knows when. I'm not just talking about the subjects people choose to learn, I'm talking about the population in general. What's the average IQ? 100? that's bordering on, "I can't tie my own shoe laces."

Is this how the world goes into decline? Have we reached the pinnacle of civilization, and have to watch it come crashing to the ground when we realise that there aren't enough smart people to run society anymore? It's only a matter of time in my opinion.

If the problem doesn't arise from the agenda that sees our children idolise POP culture and the like. Then we have a serious problem and a deteriorating situation on our hands.

So, the question is, is our deteriorating intelligence a factor of our own errors, or hidden agenda? Or are we infact just a corruption to the system? Maybe we were never meant to harbour intelligence to this level, and nature is just equilibriating to where it always should have been.



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:38 PM
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reply to post by DAZ21
 


Humans have the unique ability of starting where the previous generation left off. No other species does that. In my opinion, it is the culture that is getting stupider. One needs only to turn on the television to see this.

Cheers.



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:38 PM
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There is a war on Education and Intellectualism in the US.

Why is education cut first in any budget short fall?

Why does it cost Half a mill to get a bachelors, which falls way outside inflation numbers?

We don't need intelligent free thinking people, we need cannon fodder and cogs in the machine.

I don't know if IQ's are lowering, knowledge and critical thinking certainly are.



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:39 PM
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Can you provide any sources for your claim that people are getting dumber, or is it your conclusion based on what you've experienced?

I would argue the point, myself. I don't think anything has changed. In the overall population IQ graph, you'll see a bell curve. That's normal, and can be applied to any point in human history. I think what you've noticed is that as our population increases, so does the number in the average range.

The US education system has its problems, but the biggest obstacle to learning is the students' family, IMO. Many parents have a sense of entitlement about education; they want the reward without the effort. Of course this could be applied to just about every aspect of our society. In countries that have a more solid work ethic, you don't have this problem on the same scale.

I would caution you about putting to much emphasis on an IQ test. They are fallible, measure different areas (emotion, spatial sense, etc), and most importantly, IQ is fluid. It changes constantly throughout life.

An IQ of 69 or below is considered "retarded.". An IQ of 100 is fairly average.

S&f



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:44 PM
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reply to post by DAZ21
 


S&F for critical thinking.

As a 16 year old myself, I would have to blame the lack of motivation from my peers in general due to the rising of social networking, texting, etc. those factors are brand new and if you think about it, why would kids want to pay attention in algebra when they could be texting a friend or Facebooking(I'm not like that). My idea is that it isn't IQ that's lowering, but rather the feeling of being smart isn't as rewarding to most nowadays. You get labeled a geek and picked on for a majority of the people who try to be smart, when others see this, why would they want to act smart. Also, for the young women in this generation, they think that being smart isn't attractive, and they try to do focus on social parts of their lives instead.
Or I guess it could be fluoridation in water lowering IQ

Have a good day OP



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:46 PM
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Regarding the age old question of intelligence, there's always the argument of Tabula Rasa, Nature vs. Nurture, as well as other variants and combinations.

All in all, with larger populations, we see larger, more ponderously exaggerated results.

There's also the "Idiocracy Paradigm", frame in the movie Idiocracy where less intelligent people tend to out-breed more intelligent couple combinations.
Some of that argument and paradigm relies on genetic inheritance coupled with the environmental social peer influence factor even if someone is born intelligent, but all they know are idiots, they've no challenge for growth and thus have little initiative to develop further.

While genetics and social variables regarding peer influences may contribute, there's also other environmental factors that come into play. One of these environmental factors is our burgeoning reliance on technologies as social, cognitive, and other resource prosthetic devices.

Once upon a time you had every telephone number you called memorized. Now, your phone will usually remember that for you.
We see similar relaxation in favor of prosthetic memory and cognition where people grow into a greater sense of entitlement in expecting everyone else around them to act as their own personal google. They feel no requirement to learn or memorize anything because it's all online, or, you can ask someone that has online access.
It's an evolution of learned helplessness.

We see this here on ATS frequently where someone starts a thread with some silly question like "Hey guys, what does everyone think about neat idea X that I just had?" or "Why is the sky blue?" and similar such where the subject could easily take the time to do their own research to find similar ideas, or the answers to their questions, but are too lazy or self entitled to do it themselves, expecting someone else to either validate their opinion, or give them an answer they'll like instead of arriving at their own conclusions.

Idiocracy exists, but, at the same time, there are outlying cases where our increasingly sophisticated technologies make many processes easier to achieve regarding calculation, discovery, examination, research and communication of ideas and concepts.
Those that are willing and able to perform can excel and excel easier than previous generations allowing for potentially greater heights.





edit on 31-7-2012 by Druscilla because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:47 PM
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Originally posted by DAZ21
Looking at animals, especially the more potentially intelligent ones, they seem to be getting smarter. Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my behalf, but I'm sure we have all noticed a small increase in the flux of "animals are getting smarter" posts.


I agree. But it also could be a matter of we are finally noticing how smart they've been. Your not that stupid to survive and reproduce, which is what it's about



Everyone should be asking the question, why overall is the world's population getting increasingly less smart? Yes there are some exceptionally smart people out there, but on the whole It's looking grim. We may say that It's down to fluoride in the water supply, chemicals added to air or food, TV and subliminals, perhaps even idolising the wrong people. That last one sounds quite possible. How many people idolise Stephen Hawking to let's say Lady GaGa.


It's the reverse IMO. America is getting dumber while the other countries are focusing more on the academics. We got it and those in power want the mainstream (which are educated in public schools) to become more stupid. Take a look at the material that they are teaching children. And noticing the schools performance in relation to demographics. The "well living" don't send their children to ill performing schools. While on the flip-side you have your few parents that send their kids to a better school because they know, but that doesn't really happen enough...

And in poor neighborhoods do you have that outstanding education system?



Nowadays kids don't even want to do math, or science. Some do but the majority don't. These core subjects are what drive us forward in our search for answers to major questions, and everything we have around us is harnessed from knowledge gained. Are these subjects just too hard for the majority to grasp, even the simple concepts? In countries like China and India, they seem to buck the trend. Maybe our answer lies there, what do we do differently here in the western world? It seems there are numerous answers to this question, but what is the major factor?


Yea, that's how the system is setup. You don't even have to make your own decisions no more as everything today is catered towards instant consumption. Why invest in school when i can become the next reality star, athlete, music star, movie star.. all of those coveted positions that cover fame and fortune. And of course.. drama.



When did dumb become the new cool? The programming must have came from somewhere. There must be a continuous message being drummed since who knows when. I'm not just talking about the subjects people choose to learn, I'm talking about the population in general. What's the average IQ? 100? that's bordering on, "I can't tie my own shoe laces."


Because not enough people are strong enough in character and say "Mm, this ain't right". Or it could be that they don't care. Damn near everyone just wants to keep their heads and not rock the boat because they are afraid of losing what they have. Which is ironic because we truly own a few things. You know, stuff the IRS can't seize, hehe.



Is this how the world goes into decline? Have we reached the pinnacle of civilization, and have to watch it come crashing to the ground when we realise that there aren't enough smart people to run society anymore? It's only a matter of time in my opinion.


It's not the world. Alot of countries are stepping and trying to step their game up. And our gov't and politicians are dead set on having this rise done according to their pre-ordained plans. Or in a fashion where that country knee-toes to the West. It's a power struggle, a big one with big implications. The problem is is that unless your in on it, you really don't know whose on whose side.. ya know?



If the problem doesn't arise from the agenda that sees our children idolise POP culture and the like. Then we have a serious problem and a deteriorating situation on our hands.


Yes, agreed.



So, the question is, is our deteriorating intelligence a factor of our own errors, or hidden agenda? Or are we infact just a corruption to the system? Maybe we were never meant to harbour intelligence to this level, and nature is just equilibriating to where it always should have been.


I would say a combination of factors of our own errors and the hidden agenda. There is definitely a game being played but its being done now that the masses are distracted. To many folks, even the media, don't want to ask those tough questions anymore. Our government got corrupt over time.
edit on 31-7-2012 by cenpuppie because: (no reason given)

edit on 31-7-2012 by cenpuppie because: (no reason given)



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:49 PM
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reply to post by DAZ21
 


I would also remind you that IQ isn't everything, there is a competent to intelligence called Rationality, you can have a High IQ and be low on rationality, the reverse is also true.

I am sure we can all remember "intelligent" people with no common sense, or people who may not of been what most would consider highly intelligent yet where very well put together people, able to figure things out quickly.

People often put far to high an importance on IQ in the first place, If we only made education an priority I feel everything would work out in the end.




“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:52 PM
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Simplest answer?

Successful people tend to have the fewest number of children.


Demographic Winter asserts that "every aspect of modernity works against family life and in favor of singleness and small families or voluntary childlessness." And surely they are right. Modern societies offer people many other satisfactions and choices outside of the family. In particular women find that their time becomes more highly valued in occupations outside the home. There are no iron laws of demography, but one that comes pretty close is that the more educated women are, the fewer children they tend to have.
(Source)



posted on Jul, 31 2012 @ 12:57 PM
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did you by chance catch the cnn article this morning?Schools of thought

Basically, Illinois wants longer school days and no vacations for students. They want to hire on "shift" teachers so that they will be able to split the days of teaching classes. Teachers oppose this idea..saying students really don't want to learn anymore. High school grads can barely read and write, yet they are accepted to universities. Teaching longer days with no vacation will not improve the situation.

I like the ideas of some of those that commented. We should allow students to go to school up until 8th grade. After Jr. High is completed they split into two groups..those that go onto HS and then to university, and those that MUST complete at least a two year vocation course. Any trouble makers and such go straight to military school/service.
Students should also be required to wear uniforms to all American public schools. I think this would take away the stress of buying school clothes. Kids are at school to learn not have fashion shows to show off the latest fashions and show class status.

I don't know maybe I'm wrong..but have to try something different..we keep pouring money into US ed yet the results are getting worse by year.
edit on 31-7-2012 by Neopan100 because: (no reason given)



posted on Aug, 1 2012 @ 05:13 AM
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I suspect, though cannot prove without doing research I don't have time to do, that the smart are getting smarter and the stupid, stupider and that this has probably more or less coincided with the increasing gap between the rich and the poor... The rich have access to increasingly more sophisticated and effective techniques, technology and teaching institutions for learning, and the poor are left with a worsening education system that has less funding, is over populated, is less accessible (in the case of higher education, especially after the election of the Con-dem is all coalition were elected and they destroyed social mobility and higher education for all), has all of the best teachers cherry picked from it and faces a multitude of other issues from increased immigration of non-English speakers to further budget cuts, to terrible facilities that you wouldn't house a dog in, to government interference with the curriculum....

It comes down to money, which in turn affects life chances and, ultimately affects the kind of people we become.... As long as the divide between the rich and the poor continues to grow, so will the divide between the smart and the not so smart....

(also, I'm aware that there are exceptions to this, I myself came from a poor, single parent family yet, because I was able to pass the exam that allowed me to go to a very well regarded grammar school I was able to get a decent education. However, this isn't anywhere near adequate as the vast majority would not be lucky enough to have an opportunity like I did and are relegated to mainstream education where standards vary wildly and, in many cases are appallingly sub-standard).



posted on Aug, 1 2012 @ 08:04 AM
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reply to post by Milkflavour
 


You just summed up the main problems with the US public education system. Well done and beautifully stated.

It does come down to money. If you live in a wealthy area, chances are your school will be "wealthy" as well. Yes, they still get the same amount of funding from the government, but the fundraisers they hold in the community will be substantially higher. For example, my sis-in-law teaches in a wealthy district. Their fundraisers generally raise upwards of 65,000 a year. In the area I teach, which is very poor, we are lucky if we can raise 3,000.

Also, wealthier parents tend to value education more; for the most part, they themselves possess higher degrees and make their living as professionals in fields that require advanced degrees. These parents will make sure their children are exposed to multiple experiences (learning is all about connecting experiences) and their children will go to the best schools. Whereas there are many parents of lesser means who simply don't care about education; perhaps because they themselves never graduated high school, or they are simply too busy trying to survive that they have no time for education. I don't want to stereotype too much, not every person with a limited income feels this way, by any means. But the trend is there. In addition, when students are shuffled between divorced parents or endure horrible home lives their learning decreases. After all, who cares about adding fractions if you don't know if you'll have supper tonight? Or if Dad is coming home drunk? Or if the power will be on in your house? In these situations, education becomes a luxury of sorts.

The increasing number of limited English speaking students is another problem. Yes, these children have the right to an education, but they do slow the entire class down. We need to come up with a more effective way to teach ESL students so that they learn without interfering with the learning of others.

Big problems, and not many solutions in sight.



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