popplebop's comments

popplebop | 14 years ago | on: People Aren't Smart Enough for Democracy to Flourish, Scientists Say

>Nagel concluded that democracies rarely or never elect the best leaders. Their advantage over dictatorships or other forms of government is merely that they "effectively prevent lower-than-average candidates from becoming leaders."

No. Democracy is the best form of government discovered so far because it allows voters to remove incompetent leaders and bad policies without violence.

However competent a king or dictator is, most of his competence will be directed towards remaining in power through military force, rather than addressing his country's real problems. He cannot be removed without risking civil war, which is the worst kind.

However incompetent a prime minister or president turns out to be, and however dull voters are, incompetence is easier to recognise than competence.

Besides, one doesn't necessarily need to personally recognise it: one can be persuaded by other people. It's easier to reach agreement about things that aren't working.

popplebop | 14 years ago | on: Man with multiple degrees fails standardized test for children

>It seems to me something is seriously wrong. I have [...] 15 credit hours toward a doctorate

This statement is suggestive of where the problem lies. A doctoral thesis is supposed to be an original piece of work. The idea of assigning credit hours towards it is meaningless. We don't honour creative people for the number of hours they put in but for the works they leave behind.