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From: AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: People Without Meaningful Lives Seek Power Over Others
Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2024 19:54:49 -0500
Organization: Yellow Jersey, Ltd.
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On 9/2/2024 7:45 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> On 9/2/2024 3:09 PM, AMuzi wrote:
>> On 9/2/2024 12:51 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>> On Mon, 02 Sep 2024 16:37:16 GMT, cyclintom 
>>> <cyclintom@yahoo.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Why do you try so hard to be smart?
>>>
>>> To make you look dumb by comparison, to keep you 
>>> entertained and
>>> because intelligence tends to pay better than stupidity.
>>>
>>
>> Since generalities about humans are generally not 
>> all-inclusive, many things can be true and not true 
>> depending on 'for whom?'.
>>
>> Charles Murray has an excellent take on one type of 
>> achievement this week, so well done that it is de-paywalled:
>>
>>
>> https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-roots-of-stem-excellence-higher- education-cognitive-ability-over-dei-df09f6c7?st=lnae1l50jqogeuv
> 
> OK, interesting article. Some observations:
> 
> First, the article strongly acknowledges the obvious (to me) 
> fact that not everyone can learn everything. I've made that 
> point here many times.
> 
> It also pays homage to the normal curves I frequently 
> mention, which is another way of making the same point. 
> Those on the extreme tails of the curve are far different 
> from the great bulk near the center.
> 
> The article also touts, strongly, the value of education. 
> Can you imagine the author's reaction Tom's claim that he is 
> as good as a degreed engineer because he "read out" three 
> libraries? Or the tricycle rider's claim that professors 
> just sit and push papers around?
> 
> Going farther: I do agree that our nation should be devoting 
> more resources to supporting and challenging those at the 
> top of the curve. The societal benefits would likely be far 
> greater than, say, helping those at the bottom to achieve 
> mediocrity.
> 
> And I strongly believe the author's statement that "the 
> students in these elite STEM departments will be more than 
> 90% Asian or white and more than 80% male" speaks to 
> societal conditions, and certainly not to genetic 
> predispositions. I had female graduates who easily 
> outperformed the men in class, and did great work after they 
> graduated. I hope our culture could be changed so not only 
> white (or Asian) males were supported and challenged into 
> tech education and professional roles. There's too little of 
> that happening now.
> 
> Also, not all work needs to be Nobel-worthy. We will always 
> need competent STEM workers from the Nobel level all the way 
> down to the technician level.
> 
> And finally: The article does mention that "hard labor" as 
> well as talent is very necessary for the kinds of 
> achievements the author wants. When I was in graduate 
> school, I think all my peers agreed on who was the most 
> brilliant of us. His mental horsepower was pretty 
> astonishing - as in, not bothering to study much for exams, 
> but routinely topping the curve.
> 
> But he ended up dropping out of his PhD program at a 
> nationally renowned university. Last I heard, he runs his 
> family's pharmacy.
> 

Thought some of us would find that interesting or even 
provocative.
-- 
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971