Why smart people are important

[Augustus]

Historically, the Chinese valued both practical and pure learning. I think that was a major reason they were once the world's leading nations, and a major reason why they will again be so. To only value practical learning will eventually place America in China's dust.

Historically (pre-industrial), the education system in China was designed to tie the elite into the Confucian state. Knowledge was linked to governance, tradition, prestige or practical application rather than being an end in itself.

The stability and centralisation this produced was why China was so advanced for so long, yet was late industrialising and didn't develop the modern scientific methods that emerged in Europe from the late Medieval through Enlightenment periods. Science was ultimately about practical results, and while many people today might think of Confucianism as being more amenable to scientific enquiry than Christianity, the opposite was really true historically.

Confucian learning was mostly either purely practical, or literally elitist, whereas in Europe universities developed as centres of independent scholarship.

 

[Altfish]

While being the world leader in actual practical scientific discovery in almost every field you can think of.... coincidence?

More to do with size of the country

 

[Guy Threepwood]

More to do with size of the country

much smaller in population than both China and Europe..

 

[Revoltingest]

Atchisson Assault Shotgun - Wikipedia with a couple of 20 round drums of 00 buck should fit the bill.

The drum magazine is the only way to go!

 

[Altfish]

much smaller in population than both China and Europe..

I think you'll find that Europe has its fair share of inventions...the computer, graphene, railways are not insignificant

 

[joe1776]

But socialist style cooperation sometimes results in everyone losing.

Of course it sometimes does.

There's the plan (socialism) and the execution of the plan (government). Please offer examples of socialism failing despite competent, clean government management. In fact, the mixed economies of Europe work better than ours. We ranked tied for tenth on the United Nations Survey for quality of life.

 

[Revoltingest]

I think you'll find that Europe has its fair share of inventions...the computer, graphene, railways are not insignificant

The sammich (by the Earl Of Sammich).

 

[joe1776]

competition also involves cooperation.
But socialist style cooperation sometimes results in everyone losing.

Of course, the private health care market is highly corrupted by government intervention, eg, tort law, required free care, over-regulation.

Government intervention? When the drug companies and the negligence lawyers have a license to defraud deep pocket insurance companies, and those companies, don't care because they can pass along the cost to the consumer, that's the free market in all its glory.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

I think you'll find that Europe has its fair share of inventions...the computer, graphene, railways are not insignificant

yes but the speedos negate all that

 

[sandy whitelinger]

Good point. But neither does being dumb and ignorant.

Witout us stoopit trademen who's gunna make your signs? Tink about dat.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

To be honest if a person is Truly Smart they aren't going to care what others say of think of them. What other's say or think about them is not going to change their accomplishments.

I think it's more the snobbery that us hillbillies don't kin to.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

Or....Don't take on faith what someone says just cuz they're an intellectual.
One should still do one's own thinking, & have a working BS alarm.

I just ordered me one of those detectors from a place in Nigeria. Got a scream'n deal.

 

[Revoltingest]

Government intervention? When the drug companies and the negligence lawyers have a license to defraud deep pocket insurance companies, and those companies, don't care because they can pass along the cost to the consumer, that's the free market in all its glory.

It's much more complicated than that.
But it's far beyond the scope of this thread.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

More often than not, I have found anti-college labels like "elitist" to either be sour grapes or self-serving justification for people who have either never had the initiative to pursue a college degree or tried and failed because of poor work ethic.

That's not to say anything about people who do have good work ethic or want to go to college but can't for reasons they can't control; it's only about the self-entitled, anti-intellectual types.

Now there's an an elitist attitude a hillbilly can see coming a mile away. Smell em too.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

The sammich (by the Earl Of Sammich).

The Duke of Earls.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Americanss are probably the best makers of modern wooden houses in the world.
But the lack of guards on their equipment scares the s..t out of me.

 

[Revoltingest]

Americanss are probably the best makers of modern wooden houses in the world.
But the lack of guards on their equipment scares the s..t out of me.

In construction, guards too often just get in the way.
But here's a saw that needs no guards.....

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

In construction, guards too often just get in the way.
But here's a saw that needs no guards.....

That would give me nightmares.

 

[Revoltingest]

That would give me nightmares.

Severed fingers are even more cringeworthy though.
If I had a shop with employees, I'd be using that saw.

 

[ChristineM]

Same here, but I have an excuse: I write everything in binary.

01010111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00111111