

The Smart Appear to Be Getting Smarter - tokenadult
http://reason.com/blog/2011/08/10/the-smart-appear-to-be-getting

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anthuswilliams
I don't think people are getting smarter; they're just getting better at IQ
tests. These are not the same thing. As a society we are simply becoming more
familiar with the sorts of puzzles researchers use to gauge intelligence.

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gte910h
There is a lot to be said as well for the increase in water quality.

Lots of people used to have a minor or severe case of lead poisoning. In
addition to looking a bit like retardation, it also happens to cause poor
impulse control, making complex tasks considerably harder.

[http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/06/the-crime-of-
lead-...](http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/06/the-crime-of-lead-
exposure/)

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benwr
> Up to half the people alive in 1930, to use Kovács' insensitive phraseology,
> were mentally retarded? Really? That might help explain the rise of Hitler,
> Stalin, and Mao.

What a ridiculous conclusion.

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arctangent
I think the quote is implying that it is easier for tyrants to come to power
and then to retain that power when the population is dumber.

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lobo_tuerto
He knows what the quote is implying, but it is a preposterous conclusion to
the article.

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rhaphazard
Could the higher IQ scores be a result of the popularization of the internet
in the last couple decades? Moving from a platform that spoon-feeds you
information to a platform which encourages the user to actively seek out the
information they need/want, from a passive experience to an active one, surely
contributed to better problem solving skills.

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borism
original source sans "Reason"'s idiotic commentary [1]:
[http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/are-smart-
people-g...](http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/are-smart-people-
getting-smarter/)

[1] _Up to half the people alive in 1930, to use Kovács' insensitive
phraseology, were mentally retarded? Really? That might help explain the rise
of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao._

