Re: Boy Genius or Craft Idiot?

From: Olga Bourlin (fauxever@sprynet.com)
Date: Sat May 31 2003 - 13:05:00 MDT

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    From: "Rafal Smigrodzki" <rafal@smigrodzki.org>

    > From: "Olga Bourlin" <fauxever@sprynet.com>

    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/134859999_boygenius31.html
    > >
    > > On the other hand he says:
    > > "[arrogantly] I believe I was given a special gift from God, and
    [humbly]
    > I
    > > don't know why" ... and [as Miss America candidates are inclined to say]
    > "I
    > > want to use this gift to help all mankind and bring lasting world
    peace."
    > > [my italics]
    > >
    > > Being that I am constantly naive on this subject, it is astouding to me
    > when
    > > people say they were given a special gift from god (female singers are
    > > especially likely to say this). But what I don't understand is how a
    > brain
    > > (as in the boy genius story) that makes mathematical and scientific
    > > connections doesn't make the observation that we just crawled out of the
    > > ocean not all that long ago ... and that there is no Monkey King.
    > >
    > ### Is he a believer or just smart at playing monkey games?

    All right, we can cut him some slack. The kid is only 13 and is dependent
    on his grownups (or, sounds like, they may be dependent on him?).

    As to being clever at playing monkey games, it depends what you mean by
    "smart." If a nontheist CEO or politician pretends to be a supernaturalist
    (because by admitting his or her nontheism would jeopardize being in or
    rising in one's chosen profession), then being deceitful would be the thing
    to do. Sadly, years ago gay people had to pretend/lie they were not
    homosexual or else face ostracism - the way nontheists seem to face
    ostracism today, at least in the U.S.A. But the question remains - is being
    deceitful "smart" in these instances? (And the other question begs - who's
    keeping score here?)

    Put another way, is being deceitful ever smart? IMO yes. If a religious
    nut with a gun to my temple asked me whether I believed in god, I would lie
    and say "yes." Question: Who's keeping score here? Answer: The religious
    nut with the gun to my temple (at least, temporarily). To save my life (and
    this incident could be extrapolated to include saving other people's lives
    if I were ever in a position to do so) I would lie. And if I survived the
    scoreboard would at least be back in my hands once again.

    As for myself, I think keeping score *yourself* is "smart" in most
    instances, even if that means *not* getting (so-called) ahead in a world
    where you may have to learn to play golf (:<) or be deceitful in various
    other ways for the sake of your "career."

    To sum up, in my book being "smart" and being "successful" would be:
    keeping score yourself, and (unless your life, which is *not* the same thing
    as your "lifestyle," is under threat) being neither ethically nor
    intellectually compromising.

    Olga



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