Are people Idiots?

Question

Do you think the majority of people are idiots. Is someone an idiot because they can't see the world as deeply as others? What about understanding a true sense of morals, not just a code of morals(LAW, RELIGION, ETC.) If one lives their life by a set of codes but never thinks about them are they a good person because their laws are good? What about living one's life with a sense of virtue. It just seems no one I meet ever takes the time to think or even care about any of these things.

Answer 1

I don't believe there is AN answer to your question as I am sure smarter, more educated people than I, have tried to answer that. What I do know is that it doesn't really matter what THEY think, or anyone else for that matter. There are people living by codes, laws, ethics,morals. Many people who would never consider robbing a bank have no difficulty slandering someone they work with...People seem to live by SELECTIVE morals. They choose the ones that seem plausable and right to them and practice them with a vengence, pat themselves on the back for being of such good moral character, and put themselves out as an example of "virtue" to others that they feel are beneath them. Ergo: "Look at me, I work hard, I don't steal, I take care of my children or elderly parents, I've sacrificed and done what's right all my life...." meanwhile, they justify what wrong they do by using how "good" they've been....Hey, I'm talking about YOU and ME and the rest of us imperfect people who in general try to do the best we can, justify our shortcomings, and hold ourselves up as loftier than others. Self-delusion is pandemic. I'm sure Bush and at least a few of his buddies see themselves as "saving" the country, hey maybe even the world! Spin used to mean twirling around. Now everything has a spin on it.
I care, and I think about these things, and I consider myself of good moral character in my mind. But I also know people who I see as atrocious who also believe in their minds that they are of good moral character....

Is someone an idiot because they can't see the world as deeply as others?

I think the answer to that is NO, they are just in a different place than you, they have not awakened yet. They will in their time.
Meanwhile, I know it's difficult to feel like you are the only one in the world that feels that way, but there are others who have awakened and they are looking for you just like you are looking for them.
Where will you find them? ....Not necessarily in church, or civic clubs, or volunteer organizations though there may be some there. Look for people "LIVING" the kind of life you envision, not "TALKING" about it.
Seek and you shall find.....Ask and it will be given.........(no I'm not "religious")
Have you ever read "Kalhil Gibran"?.....It may be time for you to open your mind wider and let in wha's always been there before. Now that you are awake, answers will come, but most likely will only lead to more questions......
...........Good luck on your new journey.....Be gentle with yourself....
(take baby steps)

Answer 2

95 % of the people in this country are idiots. Not based on how deeply they see things or because of their virtues or morals. Idiocy is based on intelligence nothing else.The growing population of idiots is due to our lack of good schools , by which I mean good teachers.If the teachers got paid better we would have better teachers.In the old days teachers had control of their classes , today they have no power to control the students. Most teachers can not fail a student unless the parents say it is okay.And last but not least , it mostly falls on the parents who will not teach their kids to think.If the kids ask them a question they either tell the kid instead of teaching the kid how to look up the answer in books or n the computer. Lets not forget the parents who when ask a question , make up an answer so the kid does think their parent does not know something. This is the biggest contributor to idiocy.Since most kids believe everything the parents tell them , naturally they believe the lies as well.

Answer 3

The problem I have with philosophers is that they spend too much time examining life and not enough time living it. Socrates was absolutely correct to say that "the unexamined life is not worth living," but at the same time Socrates did more in his time on earth than most people so he had a large frame of reference in which to view the world around him.

You write in your question "If one lives their life by a set of codes but never thinks about them are they a good person because their laws are good?" Well who has determined whether or not their laws ARE good? If you are going to obey a law then you have to have at least given it some consideration. There may come a time when our views need to be reexamined but we don't need to do this all the time. As the saying goes "if it ain't broke..."

Our morals and our virtues are tested as much or more by living our lives as they are by questioning them. People may not stop every time they do something and ask themselves if their actions were consistent with their beliefs, but through their actions and their experiences they create a pattern which defines and redefines the way they look at the world. They may not actively question, but they are learning, they are growing, they are becoming more than they were. In the process of doing this, they, heck we, all make idiotic mistakes but there's a difference between doing something idiotic and being an idiot.

Do people do stupid things, yes but we learn from our mistakes and as long as we continue to learn I don't think it's either fair or accurate to call us idiots.

Answer 4

Well, you've restored SOME of my faith in humanity just by posting this question. But to give you a succinct answer, yes. People are idiots. They only think about themselves, never look at the big picture, are obsessed with trivialities (um, American Idol, anyone?) and have no manners whatsoever. Virtue is on a slippery downslope anymore, I fear. Hang on for dear life.

Answer 5

I like to think that most people are idiots and that that automatically makes me a special person, because I know that I am not an idiot. But then I think some more and mull over whether the fact that I think most people are idiots simply makes ME an idiot, as well as arrogant. Sigh. There's just no happy medium.

Answer 6

Having morals and virtues or values doesn't make you right with God.

Answer 7

Not all just some

Answer 8

Yes we are.