The laws of stupidity as can be applied to numismatics

[EZ_E]

The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

 

Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.

 

 

The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

 

 

The third (and golden) basic law

 

The Third Basic Law assumes, although it does not state it explicitly, that human beings fall into four basic categories: the helpless, the intelligent, the bandit and the stupid. It will be easily recognized by the perspicacious reader that these four categories correspond to the four areas I, H, S, B, of the basic graph (see below).

 

 

If Tom takes an action and suffers a loss while producing a gain to D-ick, Tom's mark will fall in field H: Tom acted helplessly. If Tom takes an action by which he makes a gain while yielding a gain also to D-ick, Tom's mark will fall in area I: Tom acted intelligently. If Tom takes an action by which he makes a gain causing D-ick a loss, Tom's mark will fall in area B: Tom acted as a bandit. Stupidity is related to area S and to all positions on axis Y below point O. As the Third Basic Law explicitly clarifies:

 

A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.

 

When confronted for the first time with the Third Basic Law, rational people instinctively react with feelings of skepticism and incredulity. The fact is that reasonable people have difficulty in conceiving and understanding unreasonable behaviour. But let us abandon the lofty plane of theory and let us look pragmatically at our daily life. We all recollect occasions in which a fellow took an action which resulted in his gain and our loss: we had to deal with a bandit. We also recollect cases in which a fellow took an action which resulted in his loss and our gain: we had to deal with a helpless person. We can recollect cases in which a fellow took an action by which both parties gained: he was intelligent. Such cases do indeed occur. But upon thoughtful reflection you must admit that these are not the events which punctuate most frequently our daily life. Our daily life is mostly, made of cases in which we lose money and/or time and/or energy and/or appetite, cheerfulness and good health because of the improbable action of some preposterous creature who has nothing to gain and indeed gains nothing from causing us embarrassment, difficulties or harm. Nobody knows, understands or can possibly explain why that preposterous creature does what he does. In fact there is no explanation - or better there is only one explanation: the person in question is stupid.

 

Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.

 

 

[Schatzy]

[physics-fan3.14]

I am always amazed at the number of stupid people out there. Simply shocking.

[RWB]

If an IQ of 100 is "average" then distribution has to be equal on both sides... The truly amazing thing is the number of smart people who are ignorant and cannot solve problems.

[DC Dawg]

If an IQ of 100 is "average" then distribution has to be equal on both sides... The truly amazing thing is the number of smart people who are ignorant and cannot solve problems.

Intelligence and common sense are two different attributes. One has nothing to do with the other.

[MorganMan]

Intelligence and common sense are two different attributes. One has nothing to do with the other.

 

Boy did you nail that one on the head.

 

MM

[RWB]

Hmmmmm…that reminds me… If a nail didn’t have a “head” what would you hit?

[Mark T]

If an IQ of 100 is "average" then distribution has to be equal on both sides... The truly amazing thing is the number of smart people who are ignorant and cannot solve problems.

Intelligence and common sense are two different attributes. One has nothing to do with the other.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth .

[Revenant]

Hmmmmm…that reminds me… If a nail didn’t have a “head” what would you hit?

 

The non-pointy end.

[EZ_E]

If an IQ of 100 is "average" then distribution has to be equal on both sides... The truly amazing thing is the number of smart people who are ignorant and cannot solve problems.

Intelligence and common sense are two different attributes. One has nothing to do with the other.

The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

[rrantique]

I feel so at home here. You know that warm fuzzy feeling.

[bsshog40]

As Forest Gump would say, Stupid is as stupid does. Something like that!

[michael]

great thread (thumbs u

 

thanks victor

[tonidanzawillpay]

 

Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.

 

 

 

AMEN

[Coin]

If an IQ of 100 is "average" then distribution has to be equal on both sides... The truly amazing thing is the number of smart people who are ignorant and cannot solve problems.

 

I know some not-so-smart 'over-educated' types .

 

I know some under-educated folks with saavy street smarts .

 

I'm not sure I believe education in a formal setting is all there is to IQ , a person needs cyphering skills , an ability to reason well like through deduction , and people get these skills through interaction in the real world. I'm thinking 'people' skills is a neccessary component to determining IQ .

 

Formal education is a foundation . If a scholar spends an entire lifetime in books and theory , that scholar could just 'never get it ' in the real world .

 

Besides , in all the Sci-Fi movies , the 'smart' guy either saves the planet or does something stupid and destroys it ....and we all know Scif-Fi is as real as wrestling !

[Mark T]

If an IQ of 100 is "average" then distribution has to be equal on both sides... The truly amazing thing is the number of smart people who are ignorant and cannot solve problems.

 

I know some not-so-smart 'over-educated' types .

 

I know some under-educated folks with saavy street smarts .

 

I'm not sure I believe education in a formal setting is all there is to IQ , a person needs cyphering skills , an ability to reason well like through deduction , and people get these skills through interaction in the real world. I'm thinking 'people' skills is a neccessary component to determining IQ .

 

Formal education is a foundation . If a scholar spends an entire lifetime in books and theory , that scholar could just 'never get it ' in the real world .

 

Besides , in all the Sci-Fi movies , the 'smart' guy either saves the planet or does something stupid and destroys it ....and we all know Scif-Fi is as real as wrestling !

 

 

I will take street smarts over books smarts any day in the business world.

 

[EZ_E]

Case in point: People-R-Dumb

[pendragon1998]

I think George Carlin put it this way:

 

 

Consider how stupid the average person you meet on the street is. Now consider that half of people are stupider than the average person.

 

 

Do I make my point?

[Jeffrey Cardona]

If an IQ of 100 is "average" then distribution has to be equal on both sides... The truly amazing thing is the number of smart people who are ignorant and cannot solve problems.

 

I know some not-so-smart 'over-educated' types .

 

I know some under-educated folks with saavy street smarts .

 

I'm not sure I believe education in a formal setting is all there is to IQ , a person needs cyphering skills , an ability to reason well like through deduction , and people get these skills through interaction in the real world. I'm thinking 'people' skills is a neccessary component to determining IQ .

 

Formal education is a foundation . If a scholar spends an entire lifetime in books and theory , that scholar could just 'never get it ' in the real world .

 

Besides , in all the Sci-Fi movies , the 'smart' guy either saves the planet or does something stupid and destroys it ....and we all know Scif-Fi is as real as wrestling !

 

 

Case in point....Communism.... many scholars say this form of government works great if it's done correctly. Yea right....only on paper! It has failed to work in the real world because these book smart scholars can never figure in the human factor...stupid and evil people. Given the chance we usually will screw each other over!

[EZ_E]

Case in point....Communism.... many scholars say this form of government works great if it's done correctly. Yea right....only on paper! It has failed to work in the real world because these book smart scholars can never figure in the human factor...stupid and evil people. Given the chance we usually will screw each other over!

 

Excellent point. The following is just a legend according to snopes but its fundamental truths are just common sense.

 

 

[font:Comic Sans MS] An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.

 

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

 

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

 

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

 

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

 

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

 

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

 

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

 

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

 

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

 

Could not be any simpler than that.[/font]

[Revenant]

Case in point....Communism.... many scholars say this form of government works great if it's done correctly. Yea right....only on paper! It has failed to work in the real world because these book smart scholars can never figure in the human factor...stupid and evil people. Given the chance we usually will screw each other over!

 

Excellent point. The following is just a legend according to snopes but its fundamental truths are just common sense.

 

 

[font:Comic Sans MS] An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.

 

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

 

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

 

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

 

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

 

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

 

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

 

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

 

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

 

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

 

Could not be any simpler than that.[/font]

 

That story is famous here.

[RareSov]

no animals were harmed ! classic