William Golding wrote an essay titled 'Thinking as a Hobby'

>>8357843
>Those who do not see

>>8357818
Part of me thinks its intensely immoral to coerce groups of people to do anything at all, yet another part of me thinks that the human tendency towards mob-mentality borne thoughtless actions (and even entire political movements) is one to be curbed if not wholly eliminated. So I guess my answer to your question would be similarly structured to most of my answers to either/or questions: a happy medium of both.

>>8357818

We're not going to do the legwork for you to justify your genocidal ideas.

>>8357858
yeah, i picked up the allusion. just fucking with you.

this
>regarding stupid people: Do you think the world would be better off letting them 'think' on their own, or be directed—spoon-fed if you will—to think a certain way
is why your thread is dead. if we, right now, implemented the course of action that is the logical follow up of an answering "no" to your question, your (presumed)education would come to a halt.

everyone is "stupid" in some way or another. that doesn't forfeit their effort at trying to be the best they can be.

>>8357889
Not where my mind was going with this. The question's meant to find a way to determine the ideal approach of living in a world where the majority of people quite frankly cannot conclude their own thoughts.

>>8357905
But it isn't a yes or no question? Though I think I understand the essence of your reply. The truth is, I agree that intelligence is incredibly multifarious and that we as a species have no right to mandate something as important as a way of thinking, but I think you're assuming a bit too much when you imply that I'm in any way promoting fascism. In fact, that's the exact idea I tried to temper (poorly, I guess) with my question. Basically we can live in a world where people are, in whatever way, told how to think by governing bodies; or in one where a free-market of ideas reigns. However neither is entirely possible, so what I'm getting at is that we need to address the fact that yes, some people are as good at thinking as others are at basketball and that, despite conventional beliefs, that's okay. The whole idea that every person believes what they do because they choose to do so is cockamamie; it's as absurd (and illusory I might add) an expectation as encouraging people to perform surgery on themselves. Thinking, like medical operations, must be done, yet most democratic societies around the world operate as if it is done equally—in practical terms—by its citizens. I think this leaves much more room for mass manipulation than would be the case in a Platon Republic style society, and so on.

idk though, tell me if I sound stupid, crazy, evil, whatever. Just trying to start a dialogue on an iffy, if not slightly vague subject.