Are we becoming more stupid?

[Nuclearsquash]

Just watching a programme on BBC 1 about animal intelligence. One of the points was that given a taxing environment animals become more intelligent as they attmept to solve problems.

So given that point, we as humans are generally living in far easier circumstances with few things challenging the general populace (reality tv, computers, sat nav etc), are we therefore less like to improve out intelligence, as a species and individuals?

We've seen that given a challenge our "intelligence" or knowledge has expanded rapidly, the space race in the 60's, the rush to develop nuclear weaponry, flight, but what really challenges us now?

I open the floor to my fellow PHers.

[matt0677]

This has been explored in a documentary called "Idiocracy". It's very interesting.

[Hoofy]

matt0677 said:

This has been explored in a documentary called "Idiocracy". It's very interesting.

I think you mean "worrying".

This sums things up nicely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXRjmyJFzrU

[Simpo Two]

Well it's certainly changing. 20-somethings can Text an MP3 to Twitter, but they don't know if it's safe to drink tap water - so have to fire up a £500 computer, use the internet and ask an online forum.

[Fatman2]

It depends. Maybe this is the case for a proportion of the public but how easy do you think it is for all the scientists and engineers to solve the problems necessary to produce things like sat nav, computers and space craft ?

My job certainly hasn't become any easier. Far from it. I can't claim that we're experiencing the same 'eureka' type moments that my now retired friends experienced but the challenges are different i.e. smaller, lighter, stronger, more reliable, but with less time and tougher constraints.

Believe me, there are some seriously brainy mofos about and sadly I'm not one of them.

[Nuclearsquash]

But comparatively how many children do the brainy people have compared to the erm... less brainy?

That Idiocracy clip is brilliant (and scary!).

[Fatman2]

I'm an eternal optimist so would like to think there is some balance. I honestly believe that we're getting more intelligent as a race but on the flipside some of the population are becoming more dull to even things up.

There's just no way that people 50 years ago would be able to fully comprehend the tech/science that we have today so it would be unfair to think that we have any less of a challenge today.

However this is balance by some seriously retarded individuals that make you seriously question our species.

[Hooli]

Society these days reminds me of a sci-fi story I read somewhere.
You've got a small minority of intelligent people doing all the work etc & a massive underclass of thickos who can't wipe their own arse without help & do the basic work or leach off society.

[rovermorris999]

Hooli said:

Society these days reminds me of a sci-fi story I read somewhere.
You've got a small minority of intelligent people doing all the work etc & a massive underclass of thickos who can't wipe their own arse without help & do the basic work or leach off society.

It increasingly reminds me of 'The Machine Stops'.

[Simpo Two]

HG Wells was a clever chap.

[Ewan S]

Read the book "Colony" by one of the red dwarf writers. It's about a bunch of people on a starship that will take generations to get to it's destination. As a result, with the ship's computer talking to them the entire time, the entire crew lose the ability to read.

[Ali G]

Yes.

And now we can't even do maffs (apparently!)

Particularly the English...

[R300will]

Given that our next challenges include fuelling our ever increasing population size i think our intelligence will continue to develop.