Intelligence

[eighteen buddha strike]

Pretty wise friend, then.  Wise, as opposed to merely smart.

Yeah. He's got some Moxie.

[EraPassing]

I'm midrange on the IQ level, but those few extra points don't really add up to a nice person - they just add up to someone who gets disgusted more readily.
All in all, though, it's easier for me to make friends with smart and evil people than good and dumb ones.  There's more to talk about with them.  I never have any idea what to say to nice people.

[Eldora, Oracle of Alchemy]

i disagree abotu open minded ness. an open mind is a fool's mind. that doesn't mean you should have a closed mind. buddha said build of your mind a fortress.

after that, an empty mind is the wellspring of i forget.

It's one of those things where you have to find balance.  I haven't read a lot of Buddha, so I am not sure about the quote.  I just know that you can't learn anything if your mind is so closed you cannot hear what anyone else is saying.  If your mind is so open that you believe everything you hear you will be confused and unable to do anything about anything.

[BipolarFastCycler]

Doh, of Occultforums, had it right when she said, "Stupidity should, and shall be, painful."Stupid people make me want to purge society of all of its rancid blood and rotted minds in a very aggressive and controlling manner. But that is just my fourth cousin making me say things (Mussolini). Sometimes, stupidity is somewhat cute and inspires sympathy, and other times stupid people just have to "get taken care of" if you catch my drift. What is the variable, and will this be on the test?

[BipolarFastCycler]

Ferret, I have the same experience as you. I have a high IQ (171, but I don't think that is something to brag about. The tests tend to be inaccurate, and just because you can't find the next number in a sequence, that does not make you as dumb as Bush or Richard Simmons.), and good people make me sick. I try to talk to them, but when I make jokes I understand, they think I am a freak. I am a freak, but don't walk away because of it. If they would just stay a few more minutes and chat, they would discover that I am a whore and a liar too. Evil people are only evil because they accept their own free will and faults. When faults are accepted, they cease to be faults but instead are characteristics... at least in my eye. Evil people are funny, and they are willing to laugh at dead baby jokes. I admire that; I enjoy a good dead baby joke. Good people cannot accept diversity. The bastards. They never did like my version of hangman or my game If There's A God. Damn them... damn them with sprinkles and extra virgin olive oil.

[Not Nurbldoff]

I've always perceived and used "dogmatic" in the sense of "being firmly rooted in one paradigm and vehemently dismissing anything which challenges it".  With that in mind, I'd actually claim that science is even more dogmatic than most religions.

Speaking as a part of the "scientific community" I think this is a gross overstatement. Sure, scientists are people too, they're often very "smart" in the area they do research, but many could be considered downright "stupid" in other areas.The scientific method is what ties them all together, but it's just a really useful tool. What you get from it depends on how you use it. It's really not too different from the way most people learn things by trial and error. Scientists just happen to be trained to use it to maximum advantage.

If the scientific method is used well, it can be tremendously powerful, but it's not miraculous. Basically, it relies on statistics from past measurements to make statements about future measurements. That means it's, almost by definition, a slow process to do science. You can never truly prove anything, and even to disprove something you still usually need tons of data saying the same thing before people start taking you seriously. It's just not practically possible for everyone to be constantly observant of every little challenge to the current models. That's why there's almost always a "paradigm". It's not written in stone though. Not by far.

The thing is, many people just seem to need truths. Politicians for example. Actually, most humans it seems, want some fundamental facts to be stable, to base their life on. If science was wholly independent of the support of such people and if scientific acclaim wasn't connected to personal power, I don't think "paradigms" would ever be a problem in science. But, as it is, scientists must somehow keep at least a respectable facade in order to get grants for their next project, and so on. That's part of why they simply can't follow up on every crazy idea they get, even if they would like to. Sadly, I suppose many are influenced by this situation, into not even wanting to challenge their own "truths", which means they turn into beliefs. But, as I said, scientists are just people.

I will freely admit that the scientific method is no magical shield against one's own stupidity. It requires that one is able to formulate the questions in the first place. But once you do, I think it's a really neat tool to have for systematically finding answers.

[EraPassing]

Q:  How many creationists does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None - electricity is "just a theory."

With enough evidence, and after thorough peer review, science will change its mind if there is cause.  Science has changed its collective mind more than once - so long as there is evidence for it.  

Most religions would rather deny the evidence even exists than change their minds.  I call that dogmatic.

[agent compassion]

How many Discordians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Five tons.

[Ben]

I figured it out.  Most people aren't just stupid.  They're also insane.  Insanity, like war, is ingrained in our genes and it may be millions upon millions of years before we ever purify it, if ever.  Oh well.  That's just fine by me.  After all, how boring would "pure" sanity be?  Very.

[Ben]

How many Discordians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Five tons.

One God or Goddess, but the light bulb never got changed.  Eris is in love with both Bachus and Apollo.  Apollo was gonna change the light bulb as a favor to Eris, but Bachus got jealous and punched Apollo's lights out.  Years later, Jesus was gonna change it, but now He's stuck on a cross staring at a broken light bulb, wondering if Jehova will ever change.

[Bob the Mediocre]

How many Discordians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Five tons.

One God or Goddess, but the light bulb never got changed.  Eris is in love with both Bachus and Apollo.  Apollo was gonna change the light bulb as a favor to Eris, but Bachus got jealous and punched Apollo's lights out.  Years later, Jesus was gonna change it, but now He's stuck on a cross staring at a broken light bulb, wondering if Jehova will ever change.

And Mohammed just yelled at the Christians and Jews for not changing the bulb, then his followers fought over the best way to change it.

We all drive each other insane. The only sane response it too Yakka noon eschesize.

[saint aini]

We all drive each other insane. The only sane response it too Yakka noon eschesize.

Aren't you glad I'm too stupid to really fuck your mind.

[Horab Fibslager]

We all drive each other insane. The only sane response it too Yakka noon eschesize.

Aren't you glad I'm faithful to my duty to really fuck your mind.

dude, you couldn;t fuck anyopne's mind here with a ten foo tpolel. or  yeah.

[agent compassion]

Aini,

Is it in yet?