Pineapple Express: Someone Is Wrong on the Internet?

[Warpiglet-7]

In all seriousness, it is our intelligence, not our stupidity that leads us to issues like the possibility of nuclear war (and probably our tribal tendencies on top of that). Do we have potential to be very destructive? Absolutely. History shows that. But we are also the lone species on the planet that did things like reach the moon. I'd say that is quite remarkable

You might? Be missing my point. Maybe not…

It is without question we are smart!

Where we go astray there are some psychological tendencies to blame, not our intelligence. Those things were probably adaptive at one time.

Some things that were very adaptive during our dim history are not always great in our new environment but we are adapting again.

The problem is that change now is so rapid it’s hard to keep up at the level of a species. But if we adapt in time we are unstoppable…

No stupid species could possibly make computers, come up with crazy mathematics and so on…

 

[Bedrockgames]

You might? Be missing my point. Maybe not…

It is without question we are smart!

Where we go astray there are some psychological tendencies to blame, not our intelligence. Those things were probably adaptive at one time.

Some things that were very adaptive during our dim history are not always great in our new environment but we are adapting again.

The problem is that change now is so rapid it’s hard to keep up at the level of a species. But if we adapt in time we are unstoppable…

No stupid species could possibly make computers, come up with crazy mathematics and so on…

My point was more that our intellect is a double edged sword. It is a tool that we don't always know how to use optimally. And sometimes we are just fated by circumstance to misuse the gifts of our intellect

 

[Warpiglet-7]

My point was more that our intellect is a double edged sword. It is a tool that we don't always know how to use optimally. And sometimes we are just fated by circumstance to misuse the gifts of our intellect

100%

As an example at our scale…

Do intelligent people ever make bad decisions? They do indeed! But not because they are stupid…

 

[trappedslider]

 

[Umbran]

I was kidding when I said that. But in all seriousness again, I think sonnets, industrial technology and nuclear weapons, are all indicative of our intelligence as a species.

Well, we can argue forever over what counts as "intelligence".

I might argue that those things show that we are "clever". Dying by our own hands via our own cleverness? That's the opposite of intelligent.

 

[Mannahnin]

Seasonal depression has hit me in the face with a two by four. It has gotten dark fast.

If it's any consolation, I'm getting more daylight in the morning, including my commute.

In all seriousness, it is our intelligence, not our stupidity that leads us to issues like the possibility of nuclear war (and probably our tribal tendencies on top of that). Do we have potential to be very destructive? Absolutely. History shows that. But we are also the lone species on the planet that did things like reach the moon. I'd say that is quite remarkable

Well, we can argue forever over what counts as "intelligence".

I might argue that those things show that we are "clever". Dying by our own hands via our own cleverness? That's the opposite of intelligent.

The D&D division between Intelligence and Wisdom strikes again!

 

[Bedrockgames]

Well, we can argue forever over what counts as "intelligence".

I might argue that those things show that we are "clever". Dying by our own hands via our own cleverness? That's the opposite of intelligent.

Certainly there are probably different kinds of intelligence and different aspects to it. I don't know that what we are talking about is the opposite of being intelligent, as you really can't get there without it. Accidentally walking to your death doesn't take intelligence, but crafting technology that can doom a planet, certainly does in my opinion. A stupid species couldn't produce an atom bomb. It is almost an inevitable outgrowth of intelligence. I would certainly say it is incautious and not prudent. A cautious species probably would be more careful about advancements. And I do think there is a certain kind of intelligence that worries about long term consequences of things, or can see all the ways something can go wrong. That is very rare in my opinion. Most people have significant blind spots when estimating risk. I tend to agree with the other poster who invoked wisdom. Not D&D wisdom, but real wisdom, probably is where we tend to fall short (i.e. there is a difference between knowing how to build a technology and knowing how it ought to be used)

That said, I would take living in a technologically advanced era of history over life in the bronze age personally (even with all the risks). In fact, I know for a fact, I'd be dead had I been born prior to modern medicine, so that makes the calculation pretty easy for myself

 

[Staffan]

Well, we can argue forever over what counts as "intelligence".

"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons."—Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

 

[overgeeked]

Proof that humans are unintelligent: we're destroying our environment.

 

[payn]