Book "IQ 83 Arthur Herzog"

[oldguy]

IQ 83 by Arthur Herzog III

Synopsis
YOU ARE DR. JAMES HEALEY AND LAST WEEK YOU WERE A GENIUS

That was before the DNA experiments. Before the accident you said could never happen...

Since then you have felt your mind decaying a little more each day. You have watched your wife slip into imbecility. You have seen the crowds growing murderous with animal terror, the President of the United States babbling and drooling on TV...

Only one thing separates you from them. You, at least, know what is happening as you search for the cure for the horror you have unleashed upon the world--as each day the dimming of your mind lowers your chance of finding it!

I have read the book. Not the best piece of Sci-Fi and the film was never made.
But, despite being a poor book, Arthur Herzog was an insightful person and some of his insights seem to be coming true. Society is truly becoming dumbed down and we are suffering the consequences.
What do you think? Or is this too heavy for a Sunday morning?

[IrishSarahBarra]

Yay, book club 🤗

A book of late 70's science where the characters are infected by a virus that primarily (and only?) makes them trashy because their IQ's have lowered?

I'll give it a go.

[Forceuser]

People today are more worried about appearing right
than being educated
God forbid they admit they were wrong and learn something!

I think the rise of social media echo Chambers has a lot to do with it
We've never had so much information at our fingertips and never been dumber

[Harry68]

Sounds interesting. Wonder did the makers of “idiocracy” the movie read it as there is definitely some plot overlap. Very underrated comedy gem if you haven’t seen it with Terry Crews a particular treat as the dumbest American president ever to make the screen.

[IrishSarahBarra]

This feels regional.

We could be more capable as a species than ever before from our increased ability to communicate and collaborate, access information, and access medicine. Opposing those available factors that could drive us would be the forced factors that hold us back, absorption of chemicals through food and the environment as a example but whatever.

What's available to the species that's good minus what's forced that's not so good, and which one wins out in terms of potential.

At society level, does squandering academic/creative potential now have genetic consequences? Does acting dumb as a species make the species evermore genetically dumb? I don't know, I don't know what science is out there. My intuition says yes but that's not science.

What you're doing, I'd assume, is comparing three groups - a group that doesn't have assess that allows them to think and create (insert any oppressed group); a group that has access but squanders it (your stereotypical group); a group that has access and uses it.

Maybe more, I haven't thought about it.

If oppressed groups are not genetically dumber, would the theory be that it's the willful squandering of recourses that would make the species more genetically dumb. My intuition says no, that that sounds ridiculous as if evolution hasn't even said "use it or lose it"; it's said - I'm watching your intentions 🧐

So, I have competing intuitions and neither is science.

[Forceuser]

perhaps society caters too much to the lowest common denominator these days

does too much help become unhelpful?

[AngelsFan]

perhaps society caters too much to the lowest common denominator these days

does too much help become unhelpful?

Excellent point.