Monday, January 09, 2012

Dumb is as dumb believes

How can smart people be so dumb?

I was watching a TED talk and it struck me once again that "smart people" can be the dumbest of all.

Now, I'll admit I lost interest and stopped watching before the end of the video. I have a rule about exposing myself to stupidity: I only do it if I don't have better uses for my time. So, maybe he ended the talk by saying something surprising and truly smart or wise. But I'm not counting on it.

I gather, from the part I did watch, that this guy, Paddy Ashdown, is a raving statist who doesn't understand economics or government. At all. Yet, there is an apparent consensus that he is "smart". Perhaps he is even considered an "expert" in those areas. He isn't.

He believes that "global" markets are unregulated unless there is a State involved in regulating them. He believes that statutory "law" trumps Natural Law. That is sufficient evidence that he is dumb.


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