quantifying moral responsibility

[kentonio]

good thread.

it is though i think strange to talk about responsibility for a politician's actions when the whole system of representative democracy is designed precisely to take away responsibility and control from the population. the very act of voting for someone to represent us is an abrogation of all responsibility on our part.

And rightly so. Most people can't be trusted.

[C0ckney]

And rightly so. Most people can't be trusted.

presumably you don't mean yourself here, but rather it's those other people that can't be trusted.

don't feel bad, this is a very common rationalisation for accepting and supporting an authoritarian system.

[loinburger]

I was listening to NPR the other day and they had on some guy who was saying that stupid people shouldn't vote.

Host: Wait, so stupid people should be banned from voting?
Guest: No, that would be wrong. I'm saying that stupid people should recognize that they're stupid and voluntary abstain from voting.
Host: But if they're stupid, then won't they be incapable of recognizing that they're stupid?
Guest: Yeah, that's the fly in the ointment

[Sava]

presumably you don't mean yourself here, but rather it's those other people that can't be trusted.

don't feel bad, this is a very common rationalisation for accepting and supporting an authoritarian system.

Not that I necessarily strongly agree (or disagree) with kentonio... but I think spreading power around to all citizens, versus consolidating it with an extremely small amount of people, is easily the best way to diminish the negative impacts of some psychotic (like Nixon)

[Sava]

I was listening to NPR the other day and they had on some guy who was saying that stupid people shouldn't vote.

Host: Wait, so stupid people should be banned from voting?
Guest: No, that would be wrong. I'm saying that stupid people should recognize that they're stupid and voluntary abstain from voting.
Host: But if they're stupid, then won't they be incapable of recognizing that they're stupid?
Guest: Yeah, that's the fly in the ointment

[Lorizael]

I was listening to NPR the other day and they had on some guy who was saying that stupid people shouldn't vote.

Host: Wait, so stupid people should be banned from voting?
Guest: No, that would be wrong. I'm saying that stupid people should recognize that they're stupid and voluntary abstain from voting.
Host: But if they're stupid, then won't they be incapable of recognizing that they're stupid?
Guest: Yeah, that's the fly in the ointment

Depends on how broadly you define stupidity. See, people readily admit to things like being terrible at math or spelling. But you rarely see people admit to being bad at reasoning. "Man, I'm so awful at deduction. I just can't figure out if Socrates is mortal lol."

[C0ckney]

Depends on how broadly you define stupidity. See, people readily admit to things like being terrible at math or spelling. But you rarely see people admit to being bad at reasoning. "Man, I'm so awful at deduction. I just can't figure out if Socrates is mortal lol."

yes. we think ourselves intelligent, and perhaps more importantly, that other people are fools.

[Sava]

yes. we think ourselves intelligent, and perhaps more importantly, that other people are fools.

maybe you

I embrace my idiocy

it just so happens, most everyone else is a lot dumber than I am

[C0ckney]

a fine example of what i'm talking about

[Sava]

sure, if you ignore this part:

we think ourselves intelligent

[C0ckney]

i think that there is very little difference between 'i'm intelligent and most others are fools' and 'i'm stupid, but most others are stupider', certainly not in the outlook that results from that kind of thinking.

[Sava]

you do think there is a difference?

or not?

(seems like a word may be missing from your post)

[loinburger]

http://apolyton.net/showthread.php/84631-Are-you-smarter-than-the-average-Apolytoner

Discounting the banana and negative percentile options, 91% of the people on Apolyton think that they're smarter than at least 50% of the posters on Apolyton. 36% think that they're in at least the 99th percentile.

[C0ckney]

i meant very little difference.

[Sava]

http://apolyton.net/showthread.php/8...age-Apolytoner

Discounting the banana and negative percentile options, 91% of the people on Apolyton think that they're smarter than at least 50% of the posters on Apolyton. 36% think that they're in at least the 99th percentile.

Sure. We have many smart people here. It wouldn't surprise me if around that many of us were actually in the 99th percentile, overall.