The article the video quotes extensively is at The Dangers of Ignoring Cognitive Inequality.
The tag line of the piece ==>
“Concentration of wealth is a natural result of concentration of ability, and recurs in history. The rate of concentration varies (other factors being equal) with the economic freedom permitted by morals and the law… democracy, allowing the most liberty, accelerates it. — Will and Ariel Durant
“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as ‘bad luck.’” Robert Heinlein
A site that discusses IQ and its effect on society: The Smart Fraction Theory of IQ and the Wealth of Nations and Smart Fraction Theory II: Why Asians Lag. And from that last link I got this interesting explanation.
Africa is utterly hopeless with less than two percent qualifying for smart-fraction jobs. The demise of colonialism sealed its economic doom.
But colonialism is racism. Isn’t it? Could it possibly be a crude form of noblesse oblige? There is a discussion of that going on here.
A very interesting comment at another site.
Yep, so called the decay of civilisation as advocated Arnold J Toynbee. He argues that the breakdown of civilizations is not caused by loss of control over the physical environment, over the human environment, or by attacks from outside. Rather, it comes from the deterioration of the “Creative Minority,” which eventually ceases to be creative and degenerates into merely a “Dominant Minority” (who forces the majority to obey without meriting obedience). He argues that creative minorities deteriorate due to a worship of their “former self,” by which they become prideful, and fail adequately to address the next challenge they face.
And thus the rise of Donald Trump. Our leftist friends have assumed they have all the answers and can’t make mistakes. They gave up consideration for the Rust Belt and other deplorables (too stupid to matter) and thus we got some one who at least seems to care.
Which is not to say they don’t have some answers. Drug Prohibition is an abomination and I wish my Republican friends would wake up. (Trump has – a discussion for another day) But socialism? Equality of outcome? Social Justice? They are fads. They are not viable if we want to keep expanding the pie.
Will we run out of resources? No. Because growth can happen by doing more with less. Compare doing math by hand to using a calculator. Or a computer. Or a much faster lower powered computer. And we are not even 50 years into the mass computer age.
Comments
7 responses to “Dealing With Science – IQ and Noblesse Oblige”
stephen brills tailspin answers this self serving b.s. the nazi superman excuse or the lord of the manors excuse for forcing the maids daughter to have sex with him. in cave man times when someone committed a heinous crime they were not killed they were sent out of the cave and told you are now a libertarian conservative you will be on your own and won’t use us anymore and don’t come back! today we use prisons and re-education camps to deal with super menches.
for labor day you should read the autobiography of mother jones (the magazine is named after her) a real american hero. not a hickman worshiped by ayn randists.
what about the millions starved by commies in the ukraine and china? well what about the millions starve in india during world war II and in ireland in the 1800’s to profit the british capitalists.
Command and control economies are much more efficient at starving people.
What they are not good at is developing new technologies. And new technology reduces starvation.
It is why you no longer hear much about the USSR. They couldn’t compete.
The reason why was explained (generally) in 1974.
Nobel Prize Lecture – “The Pretence of Knowledge” Friedrich August von Hayek
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economic-sciences/laureates/1974/hayek-lecture.html
The problem is that no commissar can know as much as a million “dumb” proles.
capitalists still at it killing people.
“But colonialism is racism. Isn’t it? Could it possibly be a crude form of noblesse oblige?”
Of course, vid. “The White Man’s Burden.” The thing is, it’s wrong for a minority to dictate to a separate peoples in the lands of that people’s origin.
The other problem is, colonialism that does not simply displace the natives is utterly destructive to the society that practices it. Beyond the financial ruin, it incubates a nation-destroying imperialism and/or globalism, and also brings non-natives to the originating country until they dispossess and/or destroy the original stock. That can be done via balance of power and cultural dilution, not just straight-up demographic takeover. Rome, Britain, France, America… the same record plays over and over.
Other peoples need to be left alone to find their own way, using approaches that are appropriate for their level of cultural development. All shortcuts are mirages.
Joe Katzman,
The starvation in Zimbabwe and coming to South Africa is no mirage.