I'll dare to challenge Mr. Greene. Stupidity will mess things up always:
- With partial information
- Without any information at all
- Full of information
1. Mr. Greene is addressing the issue that has become predominant since the existence of the internet and, especially, social networks. Mr. Greene is describing what today we can see on a daily basis: almost every single one of us feels entitled to "fix the world" at our own way; at our please; by sacrificing others, never ourselves, because that's the easiest, because being selfish is the supreme act of cowardice, and cowardice one of the most potent fuels of stupidity.
The one with a complete lack of esteem is a coward who doesn't dare to fight back any external entity for self-survival, but there's an even lower level: The Selfish. Because the selfish doesn't dare to challenge herself. And the reason she dares to challenge other external entities it's because she knows she has the physical tools to do it. We, most humans, and most animals, never ever fight some one stronger than us. So not being able to challenge another one is for sure coward, and not being able to challenge ourselves is equally coward, but worse, because we don't even dare to challenge someone we could be in control of.
2. So of course confirming our biases is one trigger of stupidity, but even before the appearance of the Internet, people used to expose their stupidity by allowing governments and corporations to abuse the system, and to make citizens to pay for their perverted parties through taxes. People used to say "ah, everyone says something different, I just know I know nothing and keep moving". Inaction is also stupidity.
3. Now, how could someone, full of information, still be stupid. Well, that shouldn't happen, and that's the worst level of stupidity that demonstrates we are the stupidest species. Cowards try to always see the bright side, then assume we're the smartest species. But if they'd dare to also see the dark side, they'll realize that at the same time we're the stupidest. Even the ones who have all of the information, if it doesn't confirm their biases, then they invent more information to cloud the original results and fool themselves that "everybody can think differently". How many so-called scientists have not found a way to excuse products that hurt our health. Tobacco, just one tiny sample in the ocean of examples proving our stupidity when we have all of the information, religious scientists are another example. People with all of the information who still act against all of our interests is even more stupid than the stupids described by Mr. Greene in his video.
The problem with us, humans, is we WE ARE A STUPID SPECIES. The likelihood of finding a stupid human being is far bigger than to find a smart one. The thing that has deceived us (stupid majorities) into believing that we are smart is that we can imitate. So only a tiny fraction of humans that have been smart (super smart because moderately smart will be swallowed up by stupid masses) have left an example clear enough that the stupid masses are capable to follow, but merely by self interest, even with a partial understanding, as questioned by Mr. Greene.
If we agree we are a stupid species then we're doomed to always screw it up in different ways, even when people like Mr. Greene convinces us not to be in one way, we'll find other ways, because we believe we're not stupid and Mr. Greene is not talking about us and we'll act like we are not stupid by following Mr. Greene's advice merely by pretending, without an honest desire to stop being stupid.
Lennarth Anaya
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