john9blue wrote:BigBallinStalin wrote:john9blue wrote:^ intelligence is overrated? stupidity is responsible for most human conflict, and the vast majority of people don't even know what intelligence even is. intelligence is extremely underrated.
Wot? Like getting a girl's number and her resisting?
no. like people being too stupid to understand and relate to each other. people being too stupid to see the larger consequences of their actions. people being too stupid to perceive how others are feeling. people being too stupid to realize why they believe what they believe, and why others don't share their beliefs. people being too stupid to accept that they might be wrong.
if people were intelligent enough to see this, then there would be much less conflict.
this applies to everybody. i make efforts to avoid this but it applies to me too.
It's not that simple, and it's not just a matter of intelligence--however that may be defined.
One's environment, experiences, access to education heavily influence this. Also, some people just lack communication skills, or they're poorly developed, which is partly their fault and partly due to other factors beyond their control. Besides, things like sympathy and empathy don't have much to do with one's intelligence.
And there most likely wouldn't be less conflict if there were more intelligent people--many conflicts are started by intelligent people. Intelligence alone isn't enough, nor to me is intelligence such an all-encompassing term as you suggest. It's just one facet of many that make human beings who they are.