What are they putting in the water?
Is it something in the water, or a secret corrosive side-effect of too much reality TV? No compulsory logic classes in first year university anymore?
During the whole censorship / PayPal debate, over and over again, I read people equate and confuse real examples of illegal sexual behavior with fiction.
Hyperbolic comments like "Well, I'm glad that stuff is banned. Do you really want someone fucking your 12 year old sister?"
Huh? *BLINK*
I have no idea what is going on here, but it's rampant. Blinding lapses in simple logic. Obvious inabilities to mentally separate fiction from reality. It was really quite chilling.
Were we always this stupid and I just didn't notice it, or have people been slowly getting dumber? And what's caused it?
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Yes, I agree. I think he's right. For all the shit that is heaped upon liberal arts and humanities studies, it did tend to equip people better.
I'm a proponent of the classical method of education. It's a rigorous course of instruction, yet can be easily tailored to the individual student. All in a class can study the same subject, with the higher level students taking the study further through additional/expanded assignments. You're right. Liberal arts, humanities, and the formal study of logic and rhetoric studies have become so watered down/non-existent in high school, that come time for college, many students can't handle the course. This has prompted many universities - out of necessity - to water down their course material. It's a sad cycle.
Actually, it's interesting you mention rhetoric. Because it is a very good method of teaching argumentation and learning to spot illogical, emotionally manipulative bullshit.
Ahhh...the ever popular emotionally charged words. Thrown around everywhere today - too many people at the mercy of the printed, broadcasted word - with no idea of how to defend/express clearly their own thoughts.
As to the question, 'Were we always this stupid?'...I'm sure I don't know. An interesting author and speaker, David McCullough, stated that we've spent all the 'educational capital' from the generations before us, and that new methods of education are not ...er,...educating as well. I think he may be correct.