Let's Prehend
A Manual of Human Ecology and Culture Design

STUPIDITY AND PROGRESS, SAP, A Poor Excuse

Since the recent advent of human consciousness, sometimes called the "fall from grace", the human condition has been increasingly burdened with stupidity. Intelligence might be measured by information processing capability, but stupidity is not a lack of such intelligence. Stupidity is the systematic denial of intelligence, DI (p.5). It is surely something we all share, with considerable discomfort.

The mechanisms of consciousness were evolved to make the ego structure more intense, but at the risk of narrow mindedness and fixation, up left on the isohealth line, p.33. Perhaps that is the only way the evolving brain could handle the increase in information processing which the holy evolution demanded. Or perhaps it was just god's mistake.

Throughout history, consciousness has gradually become more dominant - hence, so has denial. Archaeologists suggest that early homo sapiens might well have had as good a brain as we. Anthropologists point out that primitive peoples often have elaborate perceptions of the world around them, and a far more complex relationships with it. At least the relationships were more organically related to life - in contrast to modern abstract culture, MAC. In the modern world, MAC cultivates a separation and alienation from the psychosocial and physical support systems of life, in contrast to the primitives who were close to their material and social support systems.

Stupidity is institutionalized in modern abstract culture. The powerful technology that supports our high culture - inherently, but not necessarily - promotes specialization and a narrowing of perspective. The increasing efficiency induces - but does not compel - the wealthy to loose understanding of the very machinery that supports their high life. Everyday activities such as driving an automobile require that awareness of danger be DIMly lowered to lessen pervasive anxiety. Depersonalization of interdependency from extended family toward mechanized consumer relationships promotes - but does not necessitate - the loss of interpersonal skills that once were the supporting fabric of mental and physical life. Lastly, the education which was once an implicit part of life, is now abstracted to a meaningless and useless complex of behaviors, the ultimate institution of stupidification.

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