Ideas, opinions, politics, humanities
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How average IQ may have risen by 30 points: From medieval peasants to modern Europeans
Walk through a medieval European village. Most people cannot read. Childhood diseases are everywhere. Food shortages are common. Parasites, contaminated water, and recurring epidemics shape everyday life. Children work from an early age instead of attending school. Scientific thinking barely exists outside monasteries and a handful of universities. Now compare that world with modern Europe.…
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Americans think the US spends 25% on foreign aid. It spends 1%
Ask the average American how much of the federal budget goes to foreign aid, and the answer will often be astonishing. Around one quarter. For decades, surveys have repeatedly found that Americans believe roughly 25% of the federal budget is spent helping other countries. The real number is nowhere close. Before the recent reductions in…
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Organized Illuminati and Deep State? They exist to some extent
Evidence, evidence, evidence. I am the first one who demands it nearly in every claim. Did Jesus Christ exist? Does God exist? And so on. It is highly unprofessional for me to dive into unproven claims, but logic and statements by highly-ranking officials may give us clues. While there is massive documentary evidence of the…
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Inherited wealth, little innovation, lower taxes?
Capitalism has always been sold as a system of competition. The idea appears straightforward. Anyone with talent, determination, and a good idea can build a successful business. Consumers choose the best products. Inefficient companies disappear. New inventions replace old ones, while every entrepreneur has an opportunity to challenge the market leaders. Wealth, in this view,…
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How the right-left spectrum disappeared in Europe
The everlasting, vigorous fight between the left and right in Europe is beyond the memory of those born in the 2000s. Who has more scandals? Who steals more? Whose political marketing is better? The debate revolved around changing taxes and sometimes even reforming the economy and health care. Everything followed either right-wing or left-wing policies.…
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Is philosophy merely waiting to become science?
There is another explanation for why philosophy still exists. It is one of the most controversial ideas in the philosophy of science. According to this view, philosophy has not failed because it cannot answer questions. Rather, it continuously transforms into science whenever reliable methods become available. In other words, philosophy is not a permanent discipline.…
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Philosophy cannot define itself: 2,500 years and still no definition
What is philosophy? It sounds like one of the simplest questions imaginable. Ask a physicist what physics studies. They will tell you it investigates matter, energy, forces, and the laws governing the universe. Ask a biologist what biology studies. They will answer that it examines living organisms and the processes of life. Ask a linguist…
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Why are almost all people with an IQ of 180 predicted to be men?
People often assume that intelligence researchers believe men are smarter than women. In reality, that is not the mainstream scientific position. Decades of research have found that men and women have essentially the same average IQ. If a difference exists, it is so small that it has little practical significance. The real controversy begins elsewhere,…
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When philosophy becomes a joke
Philosophy has always asked humanity’s biggest questions. What is reality? Can we know anything with certainty? Does free will exist? What makes an action morally right? These questions have occupied some of the greatest minds in history, and the answers continue to shape science, politics, religion, and everyday life. Unlike mythology or theology, philosophy built…
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“Till we meet forever.” Can delusions become any deeper?
“Till we meet forever.” People say it at funerals with complete sincerity. They believe they will see their loved ones again. Death is not the end. It is merely a temporary separation. That single sentence reveals something remarkable about the human mind. Hundreds of millions of Americans sincerely believe not only that an afterlife exists,…