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Author Topic: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?  (Read 7645 times)

Muz

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #45 on: June 02, 2010, 04:33:42 am »

Would people be smarter? Not really. I think they'll just move towards an average level of intelligence, being whatever it is on Wikipedia. Or rather, TV Tropes. Who reads the good stuff on Wikipedia anyway, they just check it for a definition.

Smart people will get a little smarter. But you'll get a huge increase of trolls in the world and the kids who do retarded things and post them on YouTube. And if everyone had Internet access, /b/ would be a hell lot bigger. I know kids my brother's age have a lot more Internet than I did during the dial-up age, but they're certainly no smarter.
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Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.

Nikov

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #46 on: June 02, 2010, 04:39:17 am »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)


He is a regular contributor to GOPUSA, a conservative web and email newsletter run by Endeavor Media Group, LLC.

From:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sowell

GOP = Good ol' Party = Republican

First, GOP stand for Grand Old Party, not Good Old. I'd just like to ensure you know that. Second, Alan Colmes was a regular contributor to Fox News. Did that make him conservative? Or was Fox just smart to hire someone with something intelligent to say? I find it annoying you utterly dismiss a man's fifty years of work as 'propaganda' simply because he's a "black Republican".

And back to topic, people would not be smarter. People would have more access to information at home, but I don't see why broadband is required to view Wikipedia, for example. People living in rural areas who don't have broadband internet obviously don't need it, or else they would move. They might want it, but if the Fed started handing out everything people wanted we'd face an impossible precedent to follow.
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I should probably have my head checked, because I find myself in complete agreement with Nikov.

Duuvian

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #47 on: June 02, 2010, 04:45:24 am »

Yes, but then I don't reply a billion times and clutter up the thread. Also, after I submit a post I usually proofread it and immediately enter into modify post mode to fix errors and expand on things I think are unclear to avoid arguments starting over things I've left unclear.

I apologize if it's an inconvenience, I just usually think of more things to add to my post after I've read it a few times, plus if I edit my posts, when new people come to the thread they won't take up the same line of argument over me being unclear. My OP being a good example.

EDIT: Oops, got ninjad by two posts.

Would people be smarter? Not really. I think they'll just move towards an average level of intelligence, being whatever it is on Wikipedia. Or rather, TV Tropes. Who reads the good stuff on Wikipedia anyway, they just check it for a definition.

Smart people will get a little smarter. But you'll get a huge increase of trolls in the world and the kids who do retarded things and post them on YouTube. And if everyone had Internet access, /b/ would be a hell lot bigger. I know kids my brother's age have a lot more Internet than I did during the dial-up age, but they're certainly no smarter.

Good points.

(sorry about getting sidetracked again)

Nikov:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

As for this:
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

How would it be an impossible precedent to follow? Why do you even assume it's a precedent? If that's your reasoning then was the highway system or the mail system this idea's precedent? Were they necessary? What dangerous thing do you foresee for the next thing the government hands out if this were implemented? Did people move because they needed roads and a post office? I'd say yes, in limited cases, while most may not have required them but it sure would have been nice. How would someone operate a web business out of the home without internet? They would obviously have to move to the internet, even if they live in a rural area. As for why broadband, why not go with the best system that is available at the time so you never have to replace it until you have a bunch of unemployed workers and the new technology to upgrade the old with. It doesn't have to be broadband but if you do it, you might as well do it right the first time.[/spoiler]

God damn the formatting in this post killed me, trying to fix it now. I think I fixed it.

As far as Colmes, I don't know much about him. It sounds like he was the token liberal for their network but I'm probably wrong. Can you recommend me some good Colmes footage? I'm about to go to sleep, so I'll have to get back on tomorrow night if I'm not busy.

Good talking to all of you.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2010, 05:44:15 am by Duuvian »
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Sort of finished and awaiting remix due to loss of most recent song file before addition of drums:
https://www.box.com/s/s3oba05kh8mfi3sorjm0 <-zguit

Grakelin

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #48 on: June 02, 2010, 12:18:58 pm »

The highway and mail systems did set precedents. If the government decided to remove the highway and mail systems from the budget, they wouldn't be re-elected.
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I am have extensive knowledge of philosophy and a strong morality
Okay, so, today this girl I know-Lauren, just took a sudden dis-interest in talking to me. Is she just on her period or something?

Deathworks

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #49 on: June 02, 2010, 12:28:02 pm »

Hi!

I think you also have to define what you by "smart". For me, real intelligence means overcoming things like bigotry and prejudice. And seeing how much of that material can be found on the internet with fervent followers, I don't see how universal internet would change anything in those core roots of stupidity.

Deathworks
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Mfbrew

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #50 on: June 02, 2010, 12:41:34 pm »

People would have more opportunities to become smarter.

Right now, obstacles to certain groups increasing their average literacy/test scores/income/other things that may or may not indicate intelligence  include price and availability to books, access to libraries, attitudes and norms of peers, and so on.

When you give some poor racist in the boonies or the ghetto access to a world bigger than the one he lives in, he has far better opportunities to learn things and challenge his assumptions and be influenced by different peers.

Not to say it always happens, but it can.

What's the bad side? More access to pron and stupidity.  But people are great at coming up with that even without an Internet.   
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Grakelin

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #51 on: June 02, 2010, 12:46:55 pm »

Hi!

I think you also have to define what you by "smart". For me, real intelligence means overcoming things like bigotry and prejudice. And seeing how much of that material can be found on the internet with fervent followers, I don't see how universal internet would change anything in those core roots of stupidity.

Deathworks

We can kid ourselves all we like, there are lots of intelligent fascists out there.
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I am have extensive knowledge of philosophy and a strong morality
Okay, so, today this girl I know-Lauren, just took a sudden dis-interest in talking to me. Is she just on her period or something?

Deathworks

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #52 on: June 02, 2010, 01:01:59 pm »

Hi!

We can kid ourselves all we like, there are lots of intelligent fascists out there.

Yes, but they don't have intelligence in the sense I was talking about: Bigotry and prejudice may yield short term advantages for them, but they are very unstable foundations for any long-term plans. Bigotry is always a dead end - if you are lucky, it doesn't change anything, so the people infected by it will just be angry/unhappy. If you are unlucky, they succeed in getting rid of whoever they blame for all bad things; which will then lead them to having the same miserable state of affairs minus the convenient scapegoat, so a new scapegoat has to be selected from the remainder. Repeat this often enough, and they are down to hunting their own.

Besides, bigotry/prejudice always means that you are not able to objectively quantify the other party. Thus, it always messes with your ability to correctly assess the situation. Not really an intelligent choice. Thus, I believe it is in our best interests to try to fight against the luring sounds of prejudice, regardless of how clever we are.

Deathworks
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Grakelin

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #53 on: June 02, 2010, 01:34:45 pm »

I'd like to believe that's true, too, but history has shown that bigoted individuals have had varying success with genociding and oppressing people they don't like.
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I am have extensive knowledge of philosophy and a strong morality
Okay, so, today this girl I know-Lauren, just took a sudden dis-interest in talking to me. Is she just on her period or something?

Mfbrew

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #54 on: June 02, 2010, 01:57:44 pm »

Bigots and fascists and the like can be shrewd and clever and cunning without being genuinely intelligent.

Those qualities merely describe ability and willingness to game the system rather than a genuine quest for truth.

You can win at chess if you punch the other guy out before every game... But you're still not good at chess.
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moocowmoo

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #55 on: June 02, 2010, 02:02:30 pm »

I think then the internet would go the way of TV, overwhelmingly catering to the lowest herp derp denominator. I don't think internet access increases intelligence anyway. How did this discussion veer into bigotry? Has nothing to do with the topic.
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Earthquake Damage

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #56 on: June 02, 2010, 04:40:51 pm »

Bigots and fascists and the like can be shrewd and clever and cunning without being genuinely intelligent.

RE "intelligence"

You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means.
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MetalSlimeHunt

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #57 on: June 02, 2010, 04:54:50 pm »

Studies show racisim will emerge as natural behavior unless taught otherwise. Bigots can be very intelligent. Dosen't make them right, but it dosen't change the facts either.

YOUR BABIES ARE IN THE KKK, PANIC:

http://www.newsweek.com/2009/09/04/see-baby-discriminate.html
http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/060212_racefrm2.htm
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To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.
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smigenboger

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #58 on: June 02, 2010, 05:10:34 pm »

Seems like the first article was saying it's not necessarily about race, but there will always be an in-group and an out-group, and race just happens to fill that gap. If not race, then something else would (like gender, or income)
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sonerohi

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Re: Would people be smarter if internet access were free?
« Reply #59 on: June 02, 2010, 05:21:08 pm »

Another article I read had some good backing that babies don't develop racism, they develop a sense of who their tribe is. Note that it was faces, not skin color, that the babies judged by. People of a different race with similar facial structure are ok by the baby standards.
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