4 ms·

I am scared for the future of humanity.

• andylei 18y ago
  why? most people can probably get through life just fine not knowing how gravity works at non-earth locations.
  • rincewind 18y ago
    That is exactly the point of the story. Gravity works the same way everywhere in this universe (this includes non-earth locations). But instead of applying common sense, the TA made up a fact about the Moon. Maybe there is some kind of cognitive bias in the heads of some that makes them think Earth is different from the rest of the universe because we happen to live here. But that the TA did not apply Occams Razor to this problem seems weird; since he knew Descartes' philosophy, he should not have held this aristotelian world view. snarkier: Why not? Most people can probably get through life just fine telling other people nonsense about how gravity works at non-earth locations.
    • electromagnetic 18y ago
      Gravity works exactly the same throughout the entire universe, however from our pathetically small perspective on the matter the differences are quite literally astronomical. On a different planet, you'll be able to jump 100 feet into the air, fall the equivalent of about 1,000 feet and not get hurt. Most people can't grasp why, simply because their brains don't compute the monumental scale of things.
      • silentOpen 18y ago
        Gravity probably works exactly the same throughout the entire universe.
        • electromagnetic 18y ago
          Well that depends entirely on which theory of gravity you believe in. I personally like the whole anti-theory about gravity being produced by vacuums, because when you argue it against someone unknowlegable it makes pseudo-sense. However anyone with any clue of physics knows this is the easiest debunked theory in the world. I mean vacuum tube factories would have exploded in anti-gravity force.
        • vinutheraj 18y ago
          That's true, as Feynman put it, you are never absolutely sure of anything in the physical world, everything is reasonably correct by some probability and it's this kind of thinking that is hard to achieve for a normal person, but absolutely essential for a scientist. That's why I am an agnostic, I am not entirely sure of the existence of God, but I am reasonably sure that he/she doesn't exist!
• noaharc 18y ago
  Actually, we're doing a lot better now than we used to be, as IQ scores seem to be increasing over time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect I bet we'll keep on muddling through.
  • vlad 18y ago
    Actually, we're doing a lot better now than we used to be, as IQ scores seem to be increasing over time. As much as any such observation may have been measured correctly, it doesn't logically follow that intelligence itself is increasing, because of a variety of factors. The link you posted provides some of them.
  • tokenadult 18y ago
    IQ is not the same as rationality http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300123852 http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=97803001238... http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psychology/dp/030012385X http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psycholog... nor is it the same thing as wisdom, as James R. Flynn himself says. http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Beyond-Flynn-Effect/dp/0521741475/ http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Beyond-Flynn-Effect/...
• tybris 18y ago
  Relax, they're philosophy students, the only branch of university where you don't have to make an effort to understand the world.