Well, stupidity of people is what gonna cause a nuclear war And even for natural disasters, they are rising because of climate change, which is continuing to exist because of people's stupidity
@@phlebdouglas All genius is the result of human minds, but all human minds are limited things. Therefore, all genius must be the result of limited things. Unlimited things cannot be the result of limited things; they can only be the result of other unlimited things. Therefore, since no genius is the result of an unlimited thing, all genius must be limited. Although, to be fair, stupidity has a limit too. It's zero. You can't have a negative IQ. A literal sack of rocks is already the stupidest that it could ever possibly be. ...as far as we know... 🤔
@@lukegibson9410 What have you contributed? Chomsky isn't only famous for his politics. He also came up with the theory of universal grammar in modern linguistics. He is literally called the "father of modern linguistics" because of it. That's probably a lot more than what you've contributed to human knowledge. And, of course, he's also a famous political philosopher/activist. So, he's done several things, really.
Chomsky is one of the biggest idiots around. He was pushing that anyone who didn't take the poison arm dart should be excluded from society forever. Total moron and lover of totalitarian rule, definitely a fool
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
@@anccert yes according to Socrates. a perfect example of these below. Socrates on DEMOCRATS Which cost him his life. Ad Hominem: see Attack the person Ad Antiquitatem: see Appeal to Tradition Ad Baculum: see Appeal to Fear Ad Hominem: see Attack the person Ad Hominem Tu Quoque: See Personal Inconsistency Ad Ignorantium: see Argument from Ignorance Ad Metum: see Appeal to Fear Ad Misericordiam: see Appeal to Pity Ad Nauseum: see Repetition Ad Novitam: see Appeal to Novelty Ad Numeram: see Appeal to Common Practice Ad Populum: see Appeal to Common Belief or Bandwagon Ad Ridiculum: see Appeal to Ridicule Ad Verecundiam: see Appeal to Authority Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: see False Cause Dicto Simpliciter: see Accident Ignoratio Elenchi: see Missing the Point In Terrorem: see Appeal to Fear Non Causa Pro Causa: see False Effect Non Sequitur: See Affirming the Consequent, Denying the Antecedent or Missing the Point. Petitio Principii: see Begging the Question Plurium Interrogationum: see Many Questions Post Hoc: X follows Y. Therefore X is caused by Y. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc: see Post Hoc Reductio ad Absurdum: A false X is silly, so X is true. Secundum quid et simpliciter: see In a Certain Respect and Simply
Ah, if only that were true, but Ricky took the deal, he knows where he's headed post-death, and his job is to get as many down there as he can. It's all a sick game, but what can you do?
Problem is, this assumes that all stupid people are stupid about all the same exact things in the same exact way at the same exact time. And yes, while Mr, Chomsky is fundamentally correct that there are a sizable percentage of people in people who think some of the wrong things simultaneously, to believe that all these people are somehow doing all the same stupid things in the exact same stupid way at the same exact moment in time is naive. Some of these people are doing what they are doing because THEY WANT TO DO THEM THIS WAY WITHOUT REALLY EVEN CARING TO CONSIDER WHAT ANYONE ELSE IS THINKING OR FEELING.
its nothing to do with voting. it has to do with the fact that stupid people not only allow authority, they legitimate them by defending and accepting that authority. thinking voting changes anything to a substantial amount is naive. voting changes things very mildly, and always under severe threat of control by forces outside the voting public, and thats true for most republics, specially the USA.
@@dfghj241 Sounds pretty stupid to me. And Republicanesque. We narrowly averted, for the time being, becoming a dictatorial oligarchy in 2020. Not to mention the HUGE increase in governmental competence which is saving lives. Thank god we had a record turnout to keep that from happening. So dim bulbs can keep spouting off about how voting doesn’t matter. Jeezus!
He’s an Idiot. Leftists caused the Great Recession. Leftist have us on the verge of nuclear war. And climate gate 1-3 show leftists use the scam for money and power. He’s a goddamn idiot.
I think the most important part of this is that anyone, no matter how smart, can act stupid. It's always important to be introspective, and not become the stupid people we mock.
There is research to back this notion. People with really high I.Q.s tend to get low grades and even under perform at life (at least until they hit their 30s or 40s). The most successful people are those slightly below the really smart people- those who are above average, but still dumb enough to be humble and need to work hard. Essentially boredom and other factors are at play but the main factor is smart people become arrogant. Arrogance breeds stupidity regardless of natural talents. What is scary about this is think about modern American culture since the 1960s. We give people participation trophies. Everyone is encouraged to have high self esteem and arougance. When research seems to show that between intelligence and humility, humility is actually the better tool for success. This is actually the major difference between East Asian culture and Western culture- in Asia humility, hard work and effort is emphasized. In the West we emphasize intelligence, superiority, self esteem etc. which is actually counter productive in most cases.
@@RedSiegfried He has a point but I don't think it's an argument against what Noam Chomsky is stating in this video. Anyone who in anyway is for nuclear weapons and or ignores or denies the damage we as a species are doing to the environment, ie our surroundings, our life source if you like, is, to put it mildly, an idiot
the problem with this video is it’s 12 years old and in another 12 years nothing will have come true and it’ll have aged like milk . Be careful of fake intellectuals
Uncle Noam casually ignores the interviewer's use of the word 'stupid', catches the 'drift' of his query, and responds. Very reasonable behaviour. Awesome.
Genre Slur Some people say he talks slowly and he does, and it’s easy to get frustrated by that, but it’s SO he can make sure he is always saying exactly what he wants to say
Funny that I perceive your comment as an accolade whereas as others here have interpreted it as a shortcoming. Uncle Noam intuitively KNOWS what is meant and addresses what was meant. And any SMART VIEWER would too.
Yes, I’ve noticed this ability to ignore the literal of his interlocutor and then as you say ‘catch the drift’ and respond clearly and sometimes with their own word choice just for emphasis. Brilliant mental gymnastics what panache
Stupid people have been around forever. Remember the fire carrier in "Quest for Fire"? The flame was the most critical thing in the group's possession and they hand it to the klutz. That's who we are.
Thanks for the ref: Read up on it. Hm. I think there's some variance here. When Chomsky talks about the new crop of "tea party" reps in Congress, he may be partially right: It's a case of stupidity, and Dunning-Kruger may have some applicability. But there's also the case of folks who have extremely rarified skills in limited domains. They're quite competent---in the constrained realms of those limited domains. And they create and wrangle things like "derivatives markets", and do so quite expertly. I know I couldn't do it. Could you? Are we stupid? No, we're not. We just understand that, in the long run, these monetary token games are decoupled from human value. And systems built on such sand are doomed to eventual implosion. D-K may partially apply, but not completely. Some of those folks are quite arguably *very* smart.
Ron Zajac The ones in the driver seat of big dollar scams like the housing and loan scammers from wall street are very smart - the stupid are all the ones that believe Noah and his ark existed and the ones who try and forge policy off of those wives tales. Also you can add trump voters , republican base , and all bigots and racists and AM radio republican propaganda and Fox lies on TV. That's a good start for stupidity.Oh yes those who believe 1% of the people should hold all the money , that those obscenely rich should get some wonderful tax cut , and those who think they have explained life in a fair and honest way including the aforementioned tax cuts, the immigration deliberations of 15 million people , the belief in corporate welfare for those already so rich its obscene , those who readily believe these are fair and honest ways to treat their fellow countrymen -they are disgustingly selfish and greedy and terribly dishonest and indecent. We will call those many character flaws in the face of destroying ones own citizens not only reprehensible but very stupid
f bomb no I change my mind - you are correct. People who scam others and fill their egos with tales of corruption and gross manipulation of others are very stupid indeed
Kieran Collins You should care about stupid people because stupid people could end up hurting you. Such as committing a crime against you or becoming a burden on society by not being able to get a job and ending up on welfare. So, it's important to try to help as a society and pushing for better education that doesn't exist to the degree it should and creating more after school programs so that kids become disciplined and don't drop out from school and remain stupid. Also, communities should make sure kids don't get into the wrong crowds that like to smoke weed or play hookie from school. That is why it's important to care about stupid people. If you don't care about them, then they won't give a shit when they become a nuisance to society.
ExclusiveLM So because people lack certain opportunities in life they are stupid? I'd imagine all it takes to be considered clever is to be a self-righteous arsehole that mocks people who are 'stupid', absolute fucking geniuses.
+ExclusiveLM interesting point but it falls down in some way because it is people with an education that are responsible for much of the stupid stuff done in the world
+Kieran Collins arrogant self belief and its accompanying lack of will to understand and learn is what makes people argue. which of course is one of the forms stupidity comes in. I think it more accurate to say that people do stupid things than it is to say that there are stupid people in the world
He has been consistently hypocritical, perhaps. What else is there to say about someone who claims to hold to "elementary moral principles," while he visits and shakes the hand of a man who intentionally orders rocket fire on civilians?
***** Not that it will make any difference (you'll just mitigate it because you support him/them), but because you called me a troll (simply because you didn't like reading what I wrote, and not because you found it to be untrue in any way), I'll answer your question: Nabil Qauq and Hassan Nasrallah. These men ordered their forces to rocket civilian populations, purposely, with the goal of killing as many as possible. If Israel did this, you would call them "Nazis" and "war criminals," and indeed, Chomsky refers to Israeli Prime Ministers as "war criminals" all the time . . . and then he makes a point to go and shake the hands of these war criminals . . . and you want to pretend this is not hypocrisy.
Well I think if you listen to scientists and don't think bible to be a good source of actions for the future , you definitely not the dumbest person on earth .
How is the google profiting from one-liner sock puppets making comments? Plus more offensive ads! Maybe depoliticizing America's legal system would help? So: "A nonpartisan Justice may compel two recusals by junior partisan Justices." How about that idea?
Hey Luka. I guess stupidity is a relative thing. Put me next to Einstein (mentioned a lot here) and I'd be 'stupid'. I think the word stupid is a bit...stupid. Even wilful ignorance is not the same as stupid. Anyways. I liked your comment.
'The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.' Einstein or intelligent people are too full of doubt to consider themselves stupid? I think smart people groan when a stupid person asserts a lie is a fact. Only cruel people would laugh at someone with learning disabilities.
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” Bertrand Russell (whose poster hangs outside Chomsky's office, incidentally)
@@iparagonepersonalvlogs1061 Oh yes. Through my own intense personal research and experience I've grown to call it The DUH Phenomenon. And if it's especially annoying because it's reinforced by a mother-in-law in a codependent relationship I call it The DUHDUY Dependency LOL :)
I read two books from Bertrand Russel, one was an academic boring thing, the other about power was only mediocre stupid. The stupid were we who believed in this dangerous ideologic power freaks.
Let's take a critical look at religion and compare it to democracy as a control system. Religare, the root word of religion means to tie or to bind together. So let's look at a monotheistic religion for example, Islam, requires belief in the mythology to bind it to people. Democracy, is a polytheistic religion of disbelief in which we are bound to our secular mythologies.
Mineav Religion is culture, you can't get rid of culture, the biggest problem right now is collectivism. Everyone following the group without thinking, we gotta pull some Jesus and not all the bullshit parts, I mean the part where the son of a carpenter took his whip into the temple and ran out the money lenders, I guess we call them lobbyists these days. We all have to stand against Rome, it is the same story happening again.
“Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.” Frank Zappa
when the facts do not agree with their model, no problem just change the model to fit the facts. Works every time right Noam. Everyone needs to be questioned even Noam.
"Who cares about stupid people?" Those stupid people control every aspect of your life, and will continue to do so as long as you continue "not caring about them."
I would agree that our unquestioning faith in capitalism has become like a religion, in the sense that people believe in it while having read almost nothing about it. That’s not the same thing as capitalism being ineffective however. It’s proven to be incredibly effective all over the world, so much so that the once unimaginable has happened, it’s been adopted by a communist superpower. But people once understood that it had the power to destroy as well as create, and were much more willing to wield it cautiously. Now we just bow done before it and violently resist anything that regulates it in any way.
@@TrueEnglishMan01 But China does consider itself a Communist country, while allowing vast numbers of individuals and groups to practice capitalism. The state interferes, yes, and often in very controlling and corrupt ways, but by and large it is individuals and organizations that are creating material wealth (and destroying their natural wealth).
When I get too concerned about the problems of the world, I just remember that the earth was here before there were humans and it will still be here long after we are long gone.
I mix with reasonably well educated and informed people and only about one in ten have ever heard of Chomsky. When I explain to them how highly regarded and important he is in academia, intellectual circles and with anybody concerned in world events, they are incredulous and they ask me "how come I've never heard of him". I explain the reasons and then I make a bet with them that when he dies (which unfortunately is likely to be this decade) the popular media will report his death widely and sing his praises - even though, for obvious reasons, they shun him like the proverbial plague now - typical self serving hypocrisy. The world would be a much better place if people were more like Chomsky, a great intellect and a great human. I'll be sad to see his passing.
You’re 💯 spot on about how the media is going to laud him to high heaven after he passes. Just like the conservative politicians now who talk about and quote MLK, especially on MLK day. They loathed him when he was alive.
Chomsky is one of those public, third-rate "Thinkers" who confirm the prejudices of people - pseudo-intellectuals - like you. Hume and Quine are REAL thing.
I’ve read that Rupert Murdoch has a complete lock on the minds of voters, and therefore politicians, in Australia. He’s repeating that success in England and America.
My idea: Stupid (and simple-minded) people feel happier than thinking and ever-questioning people. They just find themselves back in populism, follow it blindly, and hence are happy not to have to think by themselves anymore. Problem: They are, because of their stupidness, not longer aware of the consequences such behavior might have.
I remember reading about an ancient Chinese fable that made that very same point. I guess ignorance is indeed bliss, right up until the oncoming train flattens you.
Chomsky is one of the biggest idiots around. He was pushing that anyone who didn't take the poison arm dart should be excluded from society forever. Total moron and lover of totalitarian rule, definitely not a humanitarian
This guy is one of the greatest men alive. Also the most underrated . A true sage - if governments just ask him before doing anything they would thrive
@@ivok9846 The Americans have done a very good job of making everyone think that Anarchy is evil. Anarchy is not evil, in fact it is the opposite. It has sometimes been abused, like all other political systems, but it has worked well in many cases (e.g. in Catalonia). I personally think it would no longer be practical to apply anarchy in most regions of the world, but I admire Chomsky for championing it.
@@jimmorrison2657 in catalonia when? did it work during spanish civil war? do you really think people can get it working, on their own, without some sort of punishment for commiting crime? I'm imagining chaos of enormous proportions, and many, many deaths. more than bolsheviks caused.
IvoK Large areas of Catalonia were anarchist. Apparently it worked well. No punishment for murder? This is one of the falsehoods which have been pushed by some Western governments. Of course murder is not allowed. It's just that there is no Central authority. The people decide what the punishments should be.
Whereas it may be possible to bring about just relations between individuals by moral and rational persuasion, in larger groups this is an impossibility. The relations between large groups, therefore, must be predominantly based on power rather than ethics. Power is as significant as moral persuasion in large groups, and a just society is the result of politics rather than education. Any thought to the contrary is pure sentimentality. ....... Reinhold Niebuhr
Chomsky is right about nuclear weapons because scientists have developed smaller nuclear weapons to reduce collateral damage making it more likely they will be used setting off an horrific chain reaction. Authors such as JRR Tolkien and C.S.Lewis saw this coming decades ago. “The news today about 'Atomic bombs' is so horrifying one is stunned. The utter folly of these lunatic physicists to consent to do such work for war-purposes: calmly plotting the destruction of the world! Such explosives in men's hands, while their moral and intellectual status is declining, is about as useful as giving out firearms to all inmates of a gaol and then saying that you hope 'this will ensure peace.” (J.R. Tolkien 1945). “Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed,” (C.S. Lewis) Lewis’s book The Magicians Nephew was written in 1955 during the Cold War, ten years after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the story Lewis alludes to the (Deplorable Word) a word that has the power to destroy an whole planet. Lewis warns of the power of humanity to destroy all life on Earth and near the end of The Magicians Nephew Lewis has the lion Aslan say to the central characters from the Victorian era: “It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations of your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware. That is the warning.” (Aslan, The Magicians Nephew 1955).
Noam's point is that religion is only _one_ form of irrational ideology - a belief system not based on any provable facts - and that such mindsets are extremely dangerous. People who subscribe to such ideologies are _not_ "stupid" in a literal sense: they probably make decisions that are just as logical as anyone else's when the matter in question does _not_ impinge on their beliefs. But when the facts conflict with their preconceived ideas, they simply ignore them. Thus, the people themselves may not be stupid, but their actions certainly are. Human beings seem to have propensity to cling to belief systems that have no basis in reality. Whether there is anything we can do about this is a moot point.
Thank you. This is the kind of comment that unites people rather than dividing them. We need to stop the polarization. And we should learn to communicate in a way that is conductive for discussion and progress.
Thank you, in turn, for your reply, but if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath. The tendency to demonise or vilify people who disagree with you is as old as the human race, as is the need to believe in "systems" - grand overarching schemes that explain _everything_ and thus relieve one of the tiresome task of thinking for oneself.
It is not obvious at all. As I said above, humans are capable of logic - indeed, almost all thought is logical - but when the facts (or the inescapable conclusions reached by a chain of logic) conflict with ideas in which people have a _vested_ emotional interest, logic is subconsciously jettisoned. As far as we can tell, people have been acting like this since the dawn of (human) time, and thus no optimism would seem to be warranted.
'Well, if you examine my own record since 1960, I've done or said approximately 46.2 pretty stupid things per year. That's a low approximation done by MIT, that's nearly 1 every week, I've never claimed to be infallible. Other people do that for me.' Noam Chomsky. 2019
Stupid is relative, so therefor the smarter you are the more you find yourself surrounded by stupid people. A stupid person doesn't know that they're stupid, because stupid is relative. Since stupid is relative they can almost always find someone that is less intelligent then them, which validates their belief about not being stupid. A stupid person posses a body of knowledge, and that body of knowledge to them is all the knowledge in the world. This is because they don't know what they don't know, which makes it seem like they know all there is to know. Therefor anyone can believe that all they know is a lot and significant even if its not, compared to another more intelligent person. Because the stupid person doesn't know all that the more intelligent persons knows and therefor they can't know that the more intelligent person is in fact more intelligent.
That time on that book turned out to actually have happened, it was about 12.000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. The icecaps on the North American continent melted, possibly by a comet impact which is now being investiated, and created a climate shift. The sea levels rose drastically and there was a partial wipeout of life on earth. Not saying you should take Noahs story literally, but in every culture around the world there are similar stories of a great flood and climate disaster. It actually happened, but we don't know much about life before that time since any kind of civilization that might have existed was mostly wiped off the face of the earth. Although some of it is being rediscovered right now. It could happen again and we would be forgoten for a long-ass time. Maybe 15.000 years now the survived would have re-evolved and discover remains of our civlization and look at it the same way we look at those megalithic sites like "dude who build this shit, and HOW?"
@@sunkintree Oh yes, the guy who blames every problem in the undeveloped world on Western colonialism is such a genius. His knowledge is superficial and small, much like your own pathetic intellect. Enjoy your day, follower.
I'm having this daydream right now where Noam Chomsky, Carl Sagan, Christopher Hitchens and Vaclav Havel are sitting around over beers discussing how they'd fix the world. Wouldn't that have been something to see?
Not a big fan of the words like stupid because everyone has different meaning for it. Anyone can be smart or stupid in given situations. (I'd be more cautious and judge individual actions, rather than the whole person in one go). Further, even the things we perceive in others as stupid, have reasons and motivations that make sense and aren't infact 'stupid'. FYI: When i say they 'make sense', doesn't mean they're necessarily the best course of action from an outsider's perspective. But they're understandable (not excusable, though!) if we explore them. Also, a lot things considered stupid are infact merely things that do not follow societal norms and conventional values and standards. Personally don't feel any value to labeling people or groups of people in broad strokes. No, not even the really bad ones. Making sense of things serve me more. Because it doesn't do good to me and inflates my own ego. Labeling others like this just feels like I'd rather listen to my own fully formed story rather than accept the complexities, nuance and less satisfying answers, that 'reality' offers.
For markets to be efficient, they would need to be rational. For that to occur, people would need to be rational. The history of the Pet Rock tells us that neither people nor markets are rational actors.
Another fantastic video, Mr. Waugh, thank you for sharing. I hope you'll take the following in the good spirit in which it is intended. I'm currently reading and much enjoying the short stories of M.R. James, whose tales of the supernatural pretty much always involve the investigations and peregrinations of various academic (Oxford) types, to which your videos make an excellent accompaniment. Thanks again for your work.
I like that analogy 'is the absolute belief in efficient markets any different that climate change denial based on God's promise there'd be no more floods?" Wonderful metaphor!!
+bob joe The opposite must also be true though. Where are these capitalist utopias filled with prosperity for all, where the majority are not left behind? When it comes down to it, it's not about capitalism vs socialism in an absolute solution. When you speak of countries where a democratic socialist party consistently wins elections (e.g. Sweden, Denmark, Germany, etc.), you are speaking of higher levels of socialized programs and benefits (e.g. level of senior care, daycare, paid maternity leave, paid vacation leave and sick days, healthcare, education, social security, labour and environmental regulations, etc.). And no, these countries are not in debt. As percentage of GDP, they have lower national debt than the "capitalist" USA. And no, democratic socialism is not the same as "socialism" as traditionally defined by Marx.
+bob joe where does he say he doesn't believe in private property? What he clearly doesn't believe in is huge concentrations of private power, and the source of that is the huge concentration of private wealth.
The fact that the discussion is "stupid" people seems be more than pretentious enough to put people down. And to all the people that say we need to simply stop electing them into office: it's not nearly that simple. Politics is more of an acting skill than anything. You never see a person's true personality through a campaign, the problem is much deeper than that.
the problem is really quite simple: an apathetic public incapable of critical thought produces worse politicians than an informed literate population. the solution is more difficult though, since america has a contemporary culture that accepts and even celebrates dumb. oh and i'm american.
It's voter fraud in the US. Ever since the "hanging chad", all voting is electronic and corruptible. Just look at the voting results in Ohio in the 2012 election. There is no vote from the people anymore. -and yes, it is acting too. I always said that if I was going to run for office, I would promise to "end death, no one will ever die again!" If you are going to lie, you need to do it big. Then turn-around and kill 30 million or so and say "I inherited it from the last guy..."
Chomsky is rather like a diner who wanders into the restaurant kitchen and comments about how the chefs are doing it all wrong without ever having cooked a dish for anyone himself. The chefs just ignore him and produce what they produce ….most gets eaten and some dishes get sent back. It is the way of things.
@@ThreetwoOne-wu7ye you must be extremely delusional yourself if you seriously think "green energy" infrastructure is actually green to build in the first place. and besides, you only have a limited amount of materials to actually build batteries to store electricity. and finally, the biggest advocated for climate change like Bill Gates lives in a large house with ZERO solar panels or wind turbines. if that isn't peak hypocrisy,I don't know what else is. not to mention rich people like him have private jets to travel around the world to preach climate cult dogma. EVs like Tesla still produce CO² into the atmosphere also. the metal has to be melted. the tires of EV cars are still made out of oil/gas plastic ruber. but hey, "look at my fancy vegan leather car seats. very environment friendly, right?"
Mark Wahlberg Fish is. But you idiots killed natives instead of politely asking them for lessons (I mean they already gave you food, seeing how fucked up you were)
Washichu Rehab The first laugh was for responding seriously to the water world quote. I know people take grammar a little to seriously online, but it's like speaking clearly and not mumbling and speaking clearly is important when you wish to convey an idea. "Fish is." - First failure. Starting a sentence with "But..." Your use of brackets, not do define hidden information in your sentence but only to write another sentence completely independent. (You can spell but your past and present tense got mixed up.) Why did I need those brackets? Even the vast swarms of fish in the ocean aren't free. Considering we are only a good 200 years into advanced fishing methods and we are now reducing numbers on a dangerous scale doesn't agree with your concept of a free meal. Our only hope of outlasting stupidity is funding intelligence but, it seems, we must overcome stupidity itself to achieve that most modest ideal.
James Devitt i'm wondering about the misspelled word "to". correct word-"too". . I know people take grammar a little to seriously online, but it's like speaking clearly and not mumbling and speaking clearly is important when you wish to convey an idea. comma usage awkward, sentences clumsily constructed, questionable style; like, just sayin'
No, I leave Your tests to all these thousends here who think they are so clever and the others are stupid. I will rather belong to the stupid as to this kind of intelligence.
I never looked around, never second-guessedThen I read some howard zinn now I'm always depressedAnd now I can't sleep from years of apathyAll because I read a little noam chomsky
For those that only read the title, he’s criticizing people with the power to make decisions who lack the intellect to make meaningful decisions; he’s not telling you to look down on everyday people.
for a sec i thought he was gonna say `` one threat is nuclear war and the other threat is stupid people `` LOL
that was what he said in essence
Not in that ORDER
Stupid people are far more dangerous than both combined, a single stupid in power is enough to fulfill both disasters at the same time
ha, me too
Well, stupidity of people is what gonna cause a nuclear war
And even for natural disasters, they are rising because of climate change, which is continuing to exist because of people's stupidity
what do u care about stupid people?
-"they are in power and taking actions that affect us"
NAILED THAT ONE
It was ironically a stupid fucking question
I exactly know the person that would ask the same question. So it's good that we have an answer on the record.
And thats the dilemma
@@chewcab8008 insert michael jordan's "stop it. get some help" meme
@@chewcab8008 what elites on the left? There are none
Einstein said, "The difference between stupidity and genius, is that genius has it's limits".
you clearly don't get it.
@@phlebdouglas Einstein was thinking of people just like you lol
You have to love these elites intellectuals like Chomsky who contribute nothing to society but pretense and virtue signaling about the worlds ills.
@@phlebdouglas All genius is the result of human minds, but all human minds are limited things. Therefore, all genius must be the result of limited things.
Unlimited things cannot be the result of limited things; they can only be the result of other unlimited things. Therefore, since no genius is the result of an unlimited thing, all genius must be limited.
Although, to be fair, stupidity has a limit too. It's zero. You can't have a negative IQ. A literal sack of rocks is already the stupidest that it could ever possibly be. ...as far as we know... 🤔
@@lukegibson9410 What have you contributed?
Chomsky isn't only famous for his politics. He also came up with the theory of universal grammar in modern linguistics. He is literally called the "father of modern linguistics" because of it. That's probably a lot more than what you've contributed to human knowledge.
And, of course, he's also a famous political philosopher/activist. So, he's done several things, really.
Correct a fool and he will hate you, correct a wise man and he will thank you- Somebody
That is The Word of God...Proverbs 9:8
Religion is poison
Abortion is a right
Neoliberalism is killing us
@@hombre1049 God didn't write that.
Chomsky is one of the biggest idiots around. He was pushing that anyone who didn't take the poison arm dart should be excluded from society forever. Total moron and lover of totalitarian rule, definitely a fool
correct a wise man and he will thank you. (eventually) :D
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”
I agree.
Isaac Asimov said this, in case anyone is wondering.
excellent quote
Should Chomsky’s ignorance be construed as knowledge?
@@anccert yes
according to Socrates.
a perfect example of these below.
Socrates on DEMOCRATS
Which cost him his life.
Ad Hominem: see Attack the person
Ad Antiquitatem: see Appeal to Tradition
Ad Baculum: see Appeal to Fear
Ad Hominem: see Attack the person
Ad Hominem Tu Quoque: See Personal Inconsistency
Ad Ignorantium: see Argument from Ignorance
Ad Metum: see Appeal to Fear
Ad Misericordiam: see Appeal to Pity
Ad Nauseum: see Repetition
Ad Novitam: see Appeal to Novelty
Ad Numeram: see Appeal to Common Practice
Ad Populum: see Appeal to Common Belief or Bandwagon
Ad Ridiculum: see Appeal to Ridicule
Ad Verecundiam: see Appeal to Authority
Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc: see False Cause
Dicto Simpliciter: see Accident
Ignoratio Elenchi: see Missing the Point
In Terrorem: see Appeal to Fear
Non Causa Pro Causa: see False Effect
Non Sequitur: See Affirming the Consequent, Denying the Antecedent or Missing the Point.
Petitio Principii: see Begging the Question
Plurium Interrogationum: see Many Questions
Post Hoc: X follows Y. Therefore X is caused by Y.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc: see Post Hoc
Reductio ad Absurdum: A false X is silly, so X is true.
Secundum quid et simpliciter: see In a Certain Respect and Simply
“The best thing about being dead is that you don't know about it. It's like being stupid - it's only painful for others.”
― Ricky Gervais
Ah, if only that were true, but Ricky took the deal, he knows where he's headed post-death, and his job is to get as many down there as he can. It's all a sick game, but what can you do?
Problem is, this assumes that all stupid people are stupid about all the same exact things in the same exact way at the same exact time.
And yes, while Mr, Chomsky is fundamentally correct that there are a sizable percentage of people in people who think some of the wrong things simultaneously, to believe that all these people are somehow doing all the same stupid things in the exact same stupid way at the same exact moment in time is naive.
Some of these people are doing what they are doing because THEY WANT TO DO THEM THIS WAY WITHOUT REALLY EVEN CARING TO CONSIDER WHAT ANYONE ELSE IS THINKING OR FEELING.
@@GaryM67-71 And thank you for proving the point.
@@charlesfaris-c5x How so?
Ricky is one of the stupid people noam is referring to here fyi
""Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"" George Carlin, they can vote .
As we saw in 2016. I KNOW I WAS ONE OF THEM. ME I am responsible. ? Is WHY.
its nothing to do with voting. it has to do with the fact that stupid people not only allow authority, they legitimate them by defending and accepting that authority. thinking voting changes anything to a substantial amount is naive. voting changes things very mildly, and always under severe threat of control by forces outside the voting public, and thats true for most republics, specially the USA.
@@dfghj241 ki
Another great quote. So true.
@@dfghj241 Sounds pretty stupid to me. And Republicanesque. We narrowly averted, for the time being, becoming a dictatorial oligarchy in 2020. Not to mention the HUGE increase in governmental competence which is saving lives. Thank god we had a record turnout to keep that from happening. So dim bulbs can keep spouting off about how voting doesn’t matter. Jeezus!
12 years later and this still has relevance unfortunately.
More than ever yes.
More relevance, indeed.
He’s an Idiot. Leftists caused the Great Recession. Leftist have us on the verge of nuclear war. And climate gate 1-3 show leftists use the scam for money and power. He’s a goddamn idiot.
So true. It shows how futile the American system is when come to stupid people in power.
@ nice English. Drop out in third grade?
I think the most important part of this is that anyone, no matter how smart, can act stupid. It's always important to be introspective, and not become the stupid people we mock.
agreed
There is research to back this notion. People with really high I.Q.s tend to get low grades and even under perform at life (at least until they hit their 30s or 40s). The most successful people are those slightly below the really smart people- those who are above average, but still dumb enough to be humble and need to work hard. Essentially boredom and other factors are at play but the main factor is smart people become arrogant. Arrogance breeds stupidity regardless of natural talents. What is scary about this is think about modern American culture since the 1960s. We give people participation trophies. Everyone is encouraged to have high self esteem and arougance. When research seems to show that between intelligence and humility, humility is actually the better tool for success. This is actually the major difference between East Asian culture and Western culture- in Asia humility, hard work and effort is emphasized. In the West we emphasize intelligence, superiority, self esteem etc. which is actually counter productive in most cases.
@@raymondkidwell7135 this was insightful, would you mind me asking where you found this research? I'd like to read more about this!
Noam Chomsky could learn a thing or two from you. You are correct.
@@RedSiegfried He has a point but I don't think it's an argument against what Noam Chomsky is stating in this video. Anyone who in anyway is for nuclear weapons and or ignores or denies the damage we as a species are doing to the environment, ie our surroundings, our life source if you like, is, to put it mildly, an idiot
the problem with power is that it attracts exactly the wrong people
people with toxic ambition
Seeking power should automatically exclude you from it.
the problem with this video is it’s 12 years old and in another 12 years nothing will have come true and it’ll have aged like milk . Be careful of fake intellectuals
The only rule of Dunning/Kruger club is you don’t know you’re in the Dunning/Kruger club.
First rule of Dunning-Krueger Club is, Never talk about Dunning-Krueger club.
Everyone is in the Dunning-Kruger club. Even very very smart articulate people
there is no such club it's in use to gazlight people
You for example.
@@kennethtarr4498 huh?
The universe tried to help us by sending us Noam Chomsky but still no one listened.
Many have been sent like him but they are all ignored. Ultimately nobody cares about anything but their own selfish desires.
Noam "take a look at the" Chomsky
Christopher Kelly u came from ifl tv
I died at this LOL
Jordan "roughly speaking" Peterson
"furthermore"
He is on Epstein's list
Uncle Noam casually ignores the interviewer's use of the word 'stupid', catches the 'drift' of his query, and responds. Very reasonable behaviour. Awesome.
Genre Slur
Some people say he talks slowly and he does, and it’s easy to get frustrated by that, but it’s SO he can make sure he is always saying exactly what he wants to say
@@MrShanester117 I think the monotony is worse than the speed.
Funny that I perceive your comment as an accolade whereas as others here have interpreted it as a shortcoming. Uncle Noam intuitively KNOWS what is meant and addresses what was meant. And any SMART VIEWER would too.
Uncle Chomsky s message is stupid people blocking the intelligence of information which is hired and seek.
Yes, I’ve noticed this ability to ignore the literal of his interlocutor and then as you say ‘catch the drift’ and respond clearly and sometimes with their own word choice just for emphasis. Brilliant mental gymnastics what panache
George Carlin always comes to mind: "Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"
Chomsky actually reminds me of a calmer version of Carlin.
Stupid people have been around forever. Remember the fire carrier in "Quest for Fire"? The flame was the most critical thing in the group's possession and they hand it to the klutz. That's who we are.
FEW of us will know what you're referring to with that superb example. I won't forget that, anymore than I'll ever forget Rae Dawn Chong's costume.
Being stupid is not a problem, not recognizing the own stupidity is.
+eXtremeDR There a great paradoxical theory to explain this! Google Dunning-Kruger effect ;)
Thanks for the ref: Read up on it.
Hm. I think there's some variance here.
When Chomsky talks about the new crop of "tea party" reps in Congress, he may be partially right: It's a case of stupidity, and Dunning-Kruger may have some applicability.
But there's also the case of folks who have extremely rarified skills in limited domains. They're quite competent---in the constrained realms of those limited domains. And they create and wrangle things like "derivatives markets", and do so quite expertly. I know I couldn't do it. Could you? Are we stupid? No, we're not. We just understand that, in the long run, these monetary token games are decoupled from human value. And systems built on such sand are doomed to eventual implosion. D-K may partially apply, but not completely. Some of those folks are quite arguably *very* smart.
Ron Zajac The ones in the driver seat of big dollar scams like the housing and loan scammers from wall street are very smart - the stupid are all the ones that believe Noah and his ark existed and the ones who try and forge policy off of those wives tales. Also you can add trump voters , republican base , and all bigots and racists and AM radio republican propaganda and Fox lies on TV. That's a good start for stupidity.Oh yes those who believe 1% of the people should hold all the money , that those obscenely rich should get some wonderful tax cut , and those who think they have explained life in a fair and honest way including the aforementioned tax cuts, the immigration deliberations of 15 million people , the belief in corporate welfare for those already so rich its obscene , those who readily believe these are fair and honest ways to treat their fellow countrymen -they are disgustingly selfish and greedy and terribly dishonest and indecent. We will call those many character flaws in the face of destroying ones own citizens not only reprehensible but very stupid
f bomb no I change my mind - you are correct. People who scam others and fill their egos with tales of corruption and gross manipulation of others are very stupid indeed
Very very true.
"but why do you care about stupid people?" - what kind of a question is that?
Kieran Collins You should care about stupid people because stupid people could end up hurting you. Such as committing a crime against you or becoming a burden on society by not being able to get a job and ending up on welfare. So, it's important to try to help as a society and pushing for better education that doesn't exist to the degree it should and creating more after school programs so that kids become disciplined and don't drop out from school and remain stupid. Also, communities should make sure kids don't get into the wrong crowds that like to smoke weed or play hookie from school. That is why it's important to care about stupid people. If you don't care about them, then they won't give a shit when they become a nuisance to society.
ExclusiveLM So because people lack certain opportunities in life they are stupid? I'd imagine all it takes to be considered clever is to be a self-righteous arsehole that mocks people who are 'stupid', absolute fucking geniuses.
***** That's why we argue on TH-cam :)
+ExclusiveLM interesting point but it falls down in some way because it is people with an education that are responsible for much of the stupid stuff done in the world
+Kieran Collins arrogant self belief and its accompanying lack of will to understand and learn is what makes people argue. which of course is one of the forms stupidity comes in. I think it more accurate to say that people do stupid things than it is to say that there are stupid people in the world
The beauty of Chomsky is that he's been consistent throughout his career.
He has been consistently hypocritical, perhaps. What else is there to say about someone who claims to hold to "elementary moral principles," while he visits and shakes the hand of a man who intentionally orders rocket fire on civilians?
You give off a troll alarm, but just curious: whose hand do you claim that he shook?
Who?
Who?
***** Not that it will make any difference (you'll just mitigate it because you support him/them), but because you called me a troll (simply because you didn't like reading what I wrote, and not because you found it to be untrue in any way), I'll answer your question: Nabil Qauq and Hassan Nasrallah.
These men ordered their forces to rocket civilian populations, purposely, with the goal of killing as many as possible.
If Israel did this, you would call them "Nazis" and "war criminals," and indeed, Chomsky refers to Israeli Prime Ministers as "war criminals" all the time . . . and then he makes a point to go and shake the hands of these war criminals . . . and you want to pretend this is not hypocrisy.
It's funny how everyone laughs at stupid people but noone ever considers themselves stupid.
I consider myself stupid and I laugh at myself everyday
Well I think if you listen to scientists and don't think bible to be a good source of actions for the future , you definitely not the dumbest person on earth .
How is the google profiting from one-liner sock puppets making comments? Plus more offensive ads!
Maybe depoliticizing America's legal system would help?
So: "A nonpartisan Justice may compel two recusals by junior partisan Justices."
How about that idea?
Hey Luka. I guess stupidity is a relative thing. Put me next to Einstein (mentioned a lot here) and I'd be 'stupid'. I think the word stupid is a bit...stupid. Even wilful ignorance is not the same as stupid. Anyways. I liked your comment.
'The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.' Einstein or intelligent people are too full of doubt to consider themselves stupid? I think smart people groan when a stupid person asserts a lie is a fact. Only cruel people would laugh at someone with learning disabilities.
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” Bertrand Russell (whose poster hangs outside Chomsky's office, incidentally)
Stupid people sure are cocks lol
I'm going to be 60 this year and can say there's a lot of truth to that statement.
Psychologists even have a name for this - the Dunning-Kruger effect
@@iparagonepersonalvlogs1061 Oh yes. Through my own intense personal research and experience I've grown to call it The DUH Phenomenon. And if it's especially annoying because it's reinforced by a mother-in-law in a codependent relationship I call it The DUHDUY Dependency LOL :)
I read two books from Bertrand Russel, one was an academic boring thing, the other about power was only mediocre stupid. The stupid were we who believed in this dangerous ideologic power freaks.
Einstein, 1942: “Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not yet completely sure about the universe.”
“Almost one hundred percent of language is internal. If you don’t believe me just go and be introspective for a couple of hours” - Chomsky
Never underestimate a man who overestimates his own ability.
Doesn't apply to chomsky tho
@Max The Cat why ice cream?
Or overestimate a man who underestimates his betters
How about we just estimate him then
do they even teach ethics in school anymore, or is it now just greed class.
What do you mean? The people in power are not in school. Most left school years ago. Nothing to do with schools.
Let's take a critical look at religion and compare it to democracy as a control system. Religare, the root word of religion means to tie or to bind together. So let's look at a monotheistic religion for example, Islam, requires belief in the mythology to bind it to people. Democracy, is a polytheistic religion of disbelief in which we are bound to our secular mythologies.
Islam believes in the same God as christians just without christ.
That is a parents responsibility in my book
Mineav Religion is culture, you can't get rid of culture, the biggest problem right now is collectivism. Everyone following the group without thinking, we gotta pull some Jesus and not all the bullshit parts, I mean the part where the son of a carpenter took his whip into the temple and ran out the money lenders, I guess we call them lobbyists these days. We all have to stand against Rome, it is the same story happening again.
Similar to Huxley,s vision for the future, it's the blind leading the blinded.
There is a urdu language poetic verse translated as
"No shortage of stupid people
You look for one, but find thousands"
Rite it in roman yar
@@X11CHASE
Ahmaqoon kee kami naheen Ghalib!
Aik dhondo! hazaar miltay hain
May be true for people who speak urdu. Idk
@@duaneelsbree3460 lol stfu
@@duaneelsbree3460 😊
“Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe.” Frank Zappa
I recently tried to debbate a person that could not distinguish facts and beliefs. He ended up saying facts are subjective. I'm....I..... I need a hug
when the facts do not agree with their model, no problem just change the model to fit the facts. Works every time right Noam. Everyone needs to be questioned even Noam.
We're in a situation where we need to loudly proclaim 2+2 will never equal 5.
Lol and I bet, ironically, he thought that was a really intelligent thing to say....
"There are no facts, only interpretations"
@@TheFaithfulRedeemer Objectivity has a problem with your interpretation that there is no such thing as fact, being it makes no sense.
I'm glad he said "stupid people", for a second I thought he was going to be more diplomatic in describing them.
"Who cares about stupid people?" Those stupid people control every aspect of your life, and will continue to do so as long as you continue "not caring about them."
Stupid people have the power to elect Donald Trump a second time after seeing what he did the first time.
Turn on your TV and count the seconds until you see a pharmaceutical or insurance company commercial.
“Efficient markets, is that an different from God promising Noah?”, Noam Chomsky at his best.
I would agree that our unquestioning faith in capitalism has become like a religion, in the sense that people believe in it while having read almost nothing about it. That’s not the same thing as capitalism being ineffective however. It’s proven to be incredibly effective all over the world, so much so that the once unimaginable has happened, it’s been adopted by a communist superpower. But people once understood that it had the power to destroy as well as create, and were much more willing to wield it cautiously. Now we just bow done before it and violently resist anything that regulates it in any way.
@@aliannarodriguez1581 State capitalism (PRC, USSR etc) ≠ communism
@@TrueEnglishMan01 But China does consider itself a Communist country, while allowing vast numbers of individuals and groups to practice capitalism. The state interferes, yes, and often in very controlling and corrupt ways, but by and large it is individuals and organizations that are creating material wealth (and destroying their natural wealth).
@@TrueEnglishMan01 better than capitalism owning the state like the US
It's a false equivalency on top of two items of bullshit. There is a cult of idiots who lap up everything Chomsky says.
I love Chomsky's response to the stupid people comment.
Simon Keel Yeah but they got immense power ( you stupid interviewer )
Jeremy Paxman ( the interviewer) is far from stupid ! ... just playing devils advocate .
This moron; Noam; should be arrested for mumbling in public. He is far too stupid to know what stupid is.
No, but his mouth absolutely loves the big ones!
bert wesler Which comment makes you all the moron.
Sounds like he's speaking through a cushion
When I get too concerned about the problems of the world, I just remember that the earth was here before there were humans and it will still be here long after we are long gone.
I mix with reasonably well educated and informed people and only about one in ten have ever heard of Chomsky. When I explain to them how highly regarded and important he is in academia, intellectual circles and with anybody concerned in world events, they are incredulous and they ask me "how come I've never heard of him". I explain the reasons and then I make a bet with them that when he dies (which unfortunately is likely to be this decade) the popular media will report his death widely and sing his praises - even though, for obvious reasons, they shun him like the proverbial plague now - typical self serving hypocrisy. The world would be a much better place if people were more like Chomsky, a great intellect and a great human. I'll be sad to see his passing.
You’re 💯 spot on about how the media is going to laud him to high heaven after he passes. Just like the conservative politicians now who talk about and quote MLK, especially on MLK day. They loathed him when he was alive.
Agreed 💯
Chomsky is one of those public, third-rate "Thinkers" who confirm the prejudices of people - pseudo-intellectuals - like you. Hume and Quine are REAL thing.
Well said
Duirt mhaith fosta
So true. In Australia our Prime Minister will not address environmental problems....our children’s and grandkids future is in jeopardy
the poor environment - always getting the shaft. We need more rallies!
I’ve read that Rupert Murdoch has a complete lock on the minds of voters, and therefore politicians, in Australia. He’s repeating that success in England and America.
No its not
Maybe you're the fool for believing in climate change
Things haven't changed in 12 years. They've only gotten worse.
"Stupidity is the foundation of and the nourishment for religion."
My idea: Stupid (and simple-minded) people feel happier than thinking and ever-questioning people. They just find themselves back in populism, follow it blindly, and hence are happy not to have to think by themselves anymore. Problem: They are, because of their stupidness, not longer aware of the consequences such behavior might have.
I remember reading about an ancient Chinese fable that made that very same point. I guess ignorance is indeed bliss, right up until the oncoming train flattens you.
"Is that very different from 'got promised noah'" lol
Noam Chomsky is a great humanitarian of our age. Thank you for uploading.
If I had a chance thirty years ago...
Chomsky is one of the biggest idiots around. He was pushing that anyone who didn't take the poison arm dart should be excluded from society forever. Total moron and lover of totalitarian rule, definitely not a humanitarian
in what way? flapping his big useless mouth?
Maga is one big Dunning-Kruger effect.
same as blue maga
@@DrDanQ92 There's is no such thing as blue maga. America was always great. Trump is doing a Maine Kampf schtick.
@@pskully57 you are the stupid people that are destroying the country.
@@pskully57 leftism is a mental disorder and your comment proves it. Unless you’ve been in a damned coma for the last 8 years.
This guy is one of the greatest men alive. Also the most underrated . A true sage - if governments just ask him before doing anything they would thrive
what do you mean, he's self proclaimed anarchist. the kind of which inspired some Russians to expell/kill some jews.
Whoa....you can relax, he’s not gonna read this
@@ivok9846 The Americans have done a very good job of making everyone think that Anarchy is evil. Anarchy is not evil, in fact it is the opposite. It has sometimes been abused, like all other political systems, but it has worked well in many cases (e.g. in Catalonia). I personally think it would no longer be practical to apply anarchy in most regions of the world, but I admire Chomsky for championing it.
@@jimmorrison2657 in catalonia when?
did it work during spanish civil war?
do you really think people can get it working, on their own, without some sort of punishment for commiting crime?
I'm imagining chaos of enormous proportions, and many, many deaths. more than bolsheviks caused.
IvoK Large areas of Catalonia were anarchist. Apparently it worked well. No punishment for murder? This is one of the falsehoods which have been pushed by some Western governments. Of course murder is not allowed. It's just that there is no Central authority. The people decide what the punishments should be.
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people, especially in large groups."
George Carlin
Whereas it may be possible to bring about just relations between individuals by moral and rational persuasion, in larger groups this is an impossibility. The relations between large groups, therefore, must be predominantly based on power rather than ethics. Power is as significant as moral persuasion in large groups, and a just society is the result of politics rather than education. Any thought to the contrary is pure sentimentality. ....... Reinhold Niebuhr
Chomsky is right about nuclear weapons because scientists have developed smaller nuclear weapons to reduce collateral damage making it more likely they will be used setting off an horrific chain reaction. Authors such as JRR Tolkien and C.S.Lewis saw this coming decades ago.
“The news today about 'Atomic bombs' is so horrifying one is stunned. The utter folly of these lunatic physicists to consent to do such work for war-purposes: calmly plotting the destruction of the world! Such explosives in men's hands, while their moral and intellectual status is declining, is about as useful as giving out firearms to all inmates of a gaol and then saying that you hope 'this will ensure peace.”
(J.R. Tolkien 1945).
“Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed,” (C.S. Lewis)
Lewis’s book The Magicians Nephew was written in 1955 during the Cold War, ten years after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the story Lewis alludes to the (Deplorable Word) a word that has the power to destroy an whole planet. Lewis warns of the power of humanity to destroy all life on Earth and near the end of The Magicians Nephew Lewis has the lion Aslan say to the central characters from the Victorian era:
“It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations of your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware. That is the warning.” (Aslan, The Magicians Nephew 1955).
Remember when he said "they are coming for your retirement money"? It is happening.
Right, the most people in this country are democrats.
Noam's point is that religion is only _one_ form of irrational ideology - a belief system not based on any provable facts - and that such mindsets are extremely dangerous. People who subscribe to such ideologies are _not_ "stupid" in a literal sense: they probably make decisions that are just as logical as anyone else's when the matter in question does _not_ impinge on their beliefs. But when the facts conflict with their preconceived ideas, they simply ignore them. Thus, the people themselves may not be stupid, but their actions certainly are. Human beings seem to have propensity to cling to belief systems that have no basis in reality. Whether there is anything we can do about this is a moot point.
Thank you. This is the kind of comment that unites people rather than dividing them. We need to stop the polarization. And we should learn to communicate in a way that is conductive for discussion and progress.
Thank you, in turn, for your reply, but if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath. The tendency to demonise or vilify people who disagree with you is as old as the human race, as is the need to believe in "systems" - grand overarching schemes that explain _everything_ and thus relieve one of the tiresome task of thinking for oneself.
I don't disagree.
If humans are also capable of logic, then there obviously is something we can do about this.
It is not obvious at all. As I said above, humans are capable of logic - indeed, almost all thought is logical - but when the facts (or the inescapable conclusions reached by a chain of logic) conflict with ideas in which people have a _vested_ emotional interest, logic is subconsciously jettisoned. As far as we can tell, people have been acting like this since the dawn of (human) time, and thus no optimism would seem to be warranted.
I wish this guy could live forever, he is so wise and a beacon for humanity
Me too. I also wish George Carlin could've been included in that wish too.
What a loss that will be, we're lucky he's been able to live this long.
I wish he could live forever to enjoy the GULAG FOR ETERNITY. Because that is his ideology. 😄
@@12325814 You must be one of those he voiced concerns about.
@@Spiritof_76 The concerns of a "career parasite preaching about justice" shall not be considered relevant. 😁
Just shows what a great intellectual Chomsky is for Paxman not to interrupt him like he often does and say 'great' at the end of the interview.
Noam Chomsky... would be a good name for the Cookie Monster
nom nom nom
There you go, ALARM here's one of the stupid people
Thank you for your wise words, Mr. President.
haha now that's funny.
Dwight.. why didn't you nuke S4 when you had the chance? FOR FUCKSAKE!!
Will never cease to be relevant
1:12 Here we go again.
'Well, if you examine my own record since 1960, I've done or said approximately 46.2 pretty stupid things per year.
That's a low approximation done by MIT, that's nearly 1 every week, I've never claimed to be infallible.
Other people do that for me.'
Noam Chomsky. 2019
Chompy does not suffer fools lightly.
Especially the ones who cannot spell or cannot check what they type.
This was 4 yrs ago! and yet we see exactly what he's saying play out before our eyes
stupid ppl has always been a top 10 threat, thru history.
A willingness to open the mind is the first step to understanding what matters.
Stupid is relative, so therefor the smarter you are the more you find yourself surrounded by stupid people.
A stupid person doesn't know that they're stupid, because stupid is relative. Since stupid is relative they can almost always find someone that is less intelligent then them, which validates their belief about not being stupid.
A stupid person posses a body of knowledge, and that body of knowledge to them is all the knowledge in the world. This is because they don't know what they don't know, which makes it seem like they know all there is to know. Therefor anyone can believe that all they know is a lot and significant even if its not, compared to another more intelligent person. Because the stupid person doesn't know all that the more intelligent persons knows and therefor they can't know that the more intelligent person is in fact more intelligent.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." -Albert Einstein
A delightful old chap. Full of hope and enthusiasm!
Yea, being all jolly and happy and pretending everything's a-okay has worked out well...
I'm glad floods never happened on the world again since that time on that book.
Lucas Lemos I think he meant a flood of that catastrophic size.
Lucas Lemos gahaha what book Archies Comic Book ?
That time on that book turned out to actually have happened, it was about 12.000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. The icecaps on the North American continent melted, possibly by a comet impact which is now being investiated, and created a climate shift. The sea levels rose drastically and there was a partial wipeout of life on earth. Not saying you should take Noahs story literally, but in every culture around the world there are similar stories of a great flood and climate disaster. It actually happened, but we don't know much about life before that time since any kind of civilization that might have existed was mostly wiped off the face of the earth. Although some of it is being rediscovered right now. It could happen again and we would be forgoten for a long-ass time. Maybe 15.000 years now the survived would have re-evolved and discover remains of our civlization and look at it the same way we look at those megalithic sites like "dude who build this shit, and HOW?"
I think the story goes that He said He would not again wipe out mankind via a flood.
" I only know that I know nothing "
(phrase said by Socrates).
Greetings,
Thank you Sir ♡
I could listen to this guy all day
Yeah, listening to the incoherent babbling of an old fool is a pretty good sleep aid.
@@stevensimpson9024 thats what i like about your comment so much. helps me sleep
@@sunkintree Oh yes, the guy who blames every problem in the undeveloped world on Western colonialism is such a genius. His knowledge is superficial and small, much like your own pathetic intellect. Enjoy your day, follower.
10 years AGO?! This video is still up to date...
Neom Chomsky humbles us all...👍
Yes, he probably knows how to spell your name too.
Not me I just try to listen UNDERSTAND ALITTLE than THINK. Its really hard for ME. To form my own opinion.
Finally! A Noam Chomsky video that is directed at me personally.
I'm having this daydream right now where Noam Chomsky, Carl Sagan, Christopher Hitchens and Vaclav Havel are sitting around over beers discussing how they'd fix the world. Wouldn't that have been something to see?
I would add Churchill and Lincoln.
@@danthompson5797 Beats religion
@@ge2623 are you implying they would agree with anything the other 4 have to say?
@@nickwilson3499 Oh heck no. Just like to hear Churchill and LIncoln's wit at the table.
I am actually frightened by the number of completely oblivious souls who do not know into what category they put themselves in.
Not a big fan of the words like stupid because everyone has different meaning for it. Anyone can be smart or stupid in given situations. (I'd be more cautious and judge individual actions, rather than the whole person in one go). Further, even the things we perceive in others as stupid, have reasons and motivations that make sense and aren't infact 'stupid'.
FYI: When i say they 'make sense', doesn't mean they're necessarily the best course of action from an outsider's perspective. But they're understandable (not excusable, though!) if we explore them.
Also, a lot things considered stupid are infact merely things that do not follow societal norms and conventional values and standards.
Personally don't feel any value to labeling people or groups of people in broad strokes. No, not even the really bad ones. Making sense of things serve me more. Because it doesn't do good to me and inflates my own ego. Labeling others like this just feels like I'd rather listen to my own fully formed story rather than accept the complexities, nuance and less satisfying answers, that 'reality' offers.
Filmed in 2012! Noam Chomsky should be listened to. What a shame he is not leading the government.
☘️🌝🌲
For markets to be efficient, they would need to be rational. For that to occur, people would need to be rational.
The history of the Pet Rock tells us that neither people nor markets are rational actors.
Cant remember who said "the best argument against democracy is a 5-minute conversation with the average voter."
We don’t live in free democracies or markets
Born '68 i was told in school we were retreating from an ice age, and that gave us Niagara Falls. Now I'm the ass hole?
Another fantastic video, Mr. Waugh, thank you for sharing. I hope you'll take the following in the good spirit in which it is intended. I'm currently reading and much enjoying the short stories of M.R. James, whose tales of the supernatural pretty much always involve the investigations and peregrinations of various academic (Oxford) types, to which your videos make an excellent accompaniment. Thanks again for your work.
I like that analogy 'is the absolute belief in efficient markets any different that climate change denial based on God's promise there'd be no more floods?" Wonderful metaphor!!
+bob joe The opposite must also be true though. Where are these capitalist utopias filled with prosperity for all, where the majority are not left behind? When it comes down to it, it's not about capitalism vs socialism in an absolute solution. When you speak of countries where a democratic socialist party consistently wins elections (e.g. Sweden, Denmark, Germany, etc.), you are speaking of higher levels of socialized programs and benefits (e.g. level of senior care, daycare, paid maternity leave, paid vacation leave and sick days, healthcare, education, social security, labour and environmental regulations, etc.). And no, these countries are not in debt. As percentage of GDP, they have lower national debt than the "capitalist" USA. And no, democratic socialism is not the same as "socialism" as traditionally defined by Marx.
Point being?
+bob joe where does he say he doesn't believe in private property? What he clearly doesn't believe in is huge concentrations of private power, and the source of that is the huge concentration of private wealth.
+Kasnar Burns It is, and I love how the video ends with the interviewer going "........that's great." (or at least I think that's what he's saying)
+bob joe >Where are these efficient socialist utopias you speak of?
In Scandinavia
Im afraid of what we’ll lose when we lose Noam one day.
We'll lose absolutely nothing, mate.
We'll lose a Marxist, Don't be afraid.
This was 10 years ago, things are much better now lol
You just can't outlaw stupidity though.
@@SimonFaur94 Brilliant!!!!
I’m here because when Noam Chomsky talks about us I want to pay attention to what he will say.
The fact that the discussion is "stupid" people seems be more than pretentious enough to put people down. And to all the people that say we need to simply stop electing them into office: it's not nearly that simple. Politics is more of an acting skill than anything. You never see a person's true personality through a campaign, the problem is much deeper than that.
the problem is really quite simple: an apathetic public incapable of critical thought produces worse politicians than an informed literate population. the solution is more difficult though, since america has a contemporary culture that accepts and even celebrates dumb. oh and i'm american.
Jeff S So...that's why Obama is in the White House !
Michael White that's right. and if mccain/palin got elected it would prove my point even more.
It's voter fraud in the US. Ever since the "hanging chad", all voting is electronic and corruptible. Just look at the voting results in Ohio in the 2012 election. There is no vote from the people anymore.
-and yes, it is acting too. I always said that if I was going to run for office, I would promise to "end death, no one will ever die again!" If you are going to lie, you need to do it big. Then turn-around and kill 30 million or so and say "I inherited it from the last guy..."
yeah, but none of the stupid people think he's talking abut them.
Imagine adults who can't discern feelings from facts. Millions. And they vote.
"These people have power and they are carrying out actions."
and they are carrying guns in public
Chomsky is rather like a diner who wanders into the restaurant kitchen and comments about how the chefs are doing it all wrong without ever having cooked a dish for anyone himself. The chefs just ignore him and produce what they produce ….most gets eaten and some dishes get sent back. It is the way of things.
@@ThreetwoOne-wu7ye you must be extremely delusional yourself if you seriously think "green energy" infrastructure is actually green to build in the first place.
and besides, you only have a limited amount of materials to actually build batteries to store electricity.
and finally, the biggest advocated for climate change like Bill Gates lives in a large house with ZERO solar panels or wind turbines.
if that isn't peak hypocrisy,I don't know what else is.
not to mention rich people like him have private jets to travel around the world to preach climate cult dogma.
EVs like Tesla still produce CO² into the atmosphere also.
the metal has to be melted. the tires of EV cars are still made out of oil/gas plastic ruber.
but hey, "look at my fancy vegan leather car seats. very environment friendly, right?"
Nothing's free in water world.
Mark Wahlberg Fish is. But you idiots killed natives instead of politely asking them for lessons (I mean they already gave you food, seeing how fucked up you were)
Washichu Rehab Dry land's a myth; I've never seen it.
Washichu Rehab The first laugh was for responding seriously to the water world quote. I know people take grammar a little to seriously online, but it's like speaking clearly and not mumbling and speaking clearly is important when you wish to convey an idea.
"Fish is." - First failure. Starting a sentence with "But..." Your use of brackets, not do define hidden information in your sentence but only to write another sentence completely independent. (You can spell but your past and present tense got mixed up.) Why did I need those brackets?
Even the vast swarms of fish in the ocean aren't free. Considering we are only a good 200 years into advanced fishing methods and we are now reducing numbers on a dangerous scale doesn't agree with your concept of a free meal. Our only hope of outlasting stupidity is funding intelligence but, it seems, we must overcome stupidity itself to achieve that most modest ideal.
James Devitt i'm wondering about the misspelled word "to". correct word-"too". . I know people take grammar a little to seriously online, but it's like
speaking clearly and not mumbling and speaking clearly is important
when you wish to convey an idea.
comma usage awkward, sentences clumsily constructed, questionable style; like, just sayin'
Good spotting.
If I could go back in time I’d tell him “I’m from the future and you ain’t seen nothin’ yet”
The others are the stupid, we are the intelligent. Congratulation to this wisdom !
No, I leave Your tests to all these thousends here who think they are so clever and the others are stupid. I will rather belong to the stupid as to this kind of intelligence.
This aged very well...
We are doomed.
Play Chomsky video.
Turn up volume.
And now we have a stupid President.
Yeah, like the guy who came before him was a savant.
I never looked around, never second-guessedThen I read some howard zinn now I'm always depressedAnd now I can't sleep from years of apathyAll because I read a little noam chomsky
Noam Chomsky is a national treasure. I always enjoy hearing him speak.
Ken Barlow's brother ?
Are you a clown? Or just simply dumb?
For those that only read the title, he’s criticizing people with the power to make decisions who lack the intellect to make meaningful decisions; he’s not telling you to look down on everyday people.
HE SAYS IT LIKE IT IS!
Even all these years later what he said still speaks volumes of truth.
More than ten years later, knowing what we now know about the climate con, I wonder if he would change his mind.
Brazil rigth now, unfortunally
Got this recommended right after Trump won again. TH-cam recommendations on point as always.
He's right on about the 'true believers' we're inundated with faith based belief systems that worship the end of days.
When is the last time you saw a headline that read " Happy words from Naom Chomsky" ? This guy has been predicting disaster for decades!
Never argue with anyone who's TV is bigger than their book shelf.
That depends.
What's in the bookshelf?