Uncertainty isn't a free pass

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Ah, yes, of course, two Philologos demerits for me and MP for missing the obvious trap.

Orwell does NOT say "All people are stupid", he says "people are stupid", which is ambiguous:

"people as a class are stupid"

OR

"in general people are stupid"

OR

"some people are stupid."

AND since that last option cannot be ruled out as interpretation and is patently true, ya got me.

Ah, yes, of course, two Philologos demerits for me and MP for missing the obvious trap.

Orwell does NOT say "All people are stupid", he says "people are stupid", which is ambiguous:

"people as a class are stupid"

OR

"in general people are stupid"

OR

"some people are stupid."

AND since that last option cannot be ruled out as interpretation and is patently true, ya got me.

So, Orwell, you want me to evaluate your claim using anecdotal evidence??! !

And while "stupid" is a somewhat vague and pretty normative term, I don't think there's any definition of the word that means "less intelligent then the top 10% of the population".

There's a lot of anecdotal evidence. I mean, even if this doesn't conform to perfect scientific measures, it is sufficiently good. Besides that, there is a lot of evidence in many other places that people have poor evaluations.


His claim is still relatively true though. I mean, 50% of the population has an IQ below 100.

To believe it relatively true on that basis, we would have to assume that IQ is correlated with actual intelligence, and I beg to differ about that.

So, Orwell, you want me to evaluate your claim using anecdotal evidence??! !

And while "stupid" is a somewhat vague and pretty normative term, I don't think there's any definition of the word that means "less intelligent then the top 10% of the population".

Because people are stupid, and people are bad at reasoning.

And while "stupid" is a somewhat vague and pretty normative term, I don't think there's any definition of the word that means "less intelligent then the top 10% of the population".

Aren't both the same thing? I mean, the issue that most people are bad at reasoning is being your definition of "stupid", unless there is a difference for it?

I ask this, because "stupid" is thrown out sometimes by those who think they are being smart and they are the ones who are having flawed reasoning and all, which is pretty common.

No, "bad at reasoning" refers specifically to arguments and structured beliefs. Stupid is a broader term though that is opposite to "intelligent". Intelligence has more components than just reasoning well in arguments and structured beliefs.

Orwell's statement is not analytic on what set of people we should consider, or whether it is a percentage, or whatever have you. I think that Orwell would be best understood as saying "in general people are stupid", which I would side with given a relatively elitist conception of "stupid", (this conception being common amongst the intelligent and educated)

Aren't both the same thing? I mean, the issue that most people are bad at reasoning is being your definition of "stupid", unless there is a difference for it?

And also among arrogant young punk ennea-5s, such as I once was, such as Number 1 Son is precociously starting to cease to be, and intending no disrespect to your persona, who while in general intelligent enough have barely begun to be educated.

Ok, well, in any case I see a problem regarding "stupid" being opposite to intelligence as having real psychological value (and the actual psychological value of the pressumption of "lack of intelligence" of an individual) but rather more related to peer/social and cultural issues, so the term to be taken seriously in a PPR type discussion seems odd, given that as well as being a pegorative term used in a peer/group context (which I believe that can be dismissed as meaningless). Another issue is that in this fashion, IQ is being thrown out as well here, and that seems to render individuals with learning disabilities as stupid. And well, given the pejorative nature of the word, regarding people with disabilities and other psychological issues, seems a problem.

It depends on what you call a serious, general intellectual disability. Having a form of mental retardation is arguably a general intellectual disability. People with mental retardation are stupid.(they're certainly not smart, but the opposite) So..... I don't see your point, M_P.

Learning disability used to be known as mental handicap or mental retardation. Other terms sometimes used are general or global developmental delay. A child with a general learning disability finds it more difficult to learn, understand and do things compared to other children of the same age. Like all children and young people, children with learning disabilities continue to progress and learn throughout their childhood - but more slowly.

INTRODUCTION

Learning disabilities (LD) are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by the unexpected failure of an individual to competently acquire, retrieve, and use information. They are caused by inborn or acquired abnormalities in brain structure and function and have multifactorial etiology [1]. LD are the most severe, pervasive, and chronic form of learning difficulty in children with average or above-average intellectual abilities [2,3].

Definitions of LD vary, but the crucial element is an intrinsic cognitive difficulty that results in academic achievement at a level less than expected for the individual's intellectual capacity [4-6]. Most children with LD have primary deficits in basic reading skills (ie, dyslexia), and the majority of information about LD is derived from studies of these children [4]. Children with reading difficulty typically have deficits in writing skills as well, but a writing LD can be identified as a separate entity. (See "Normal reading development and etiology of reading difficulty in children" and "Clinical features and evaluation of reading difficulty in children".) Math LD is less common.

The educational management and prognosis of LD in children will be presented here. The definition, epidemiology, clinical features, evaluation, and role of the primary care provider are discussed separately. (See "Definitions of specific learning disability and laws pertaining to learning disabilities" and "Specific learning disabilities in children: Clinical features" and "Specific learning disabilities in children: Evaluation" and "Specific learning disabilities in children: Role of the primary care provider".)

In some countries, the term "learning disability" is used to refer to intellectual disability (mental retardation). Intellectual disability is discussed separately. (See "Intellectual disability (mental retardation) in children: Definition; causes; and diagnosis" and "Intellectual disability (mental retardation) in children: Management; outcomes; and prevention" and "Intellectual disability (mental retardation) in children: Evaluation".)