Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Basically the plot of Avengers 2

Yeah, and the Matrix before that.

And to a certain extent, Terminator.  SkyNet saw humanity as a threat in general, not necessarily an environmental one, but close enough.

Having more information to learn has nothing to do with IQ. 
Also, the argument can be made that some tech makes us lazier, cognitively speaking.  Pre-cell phone, you probably committed 50+ phone numbers to memory.  Or at least 20 or so. Now?  Maybe 5? 

great point lol. probably have less than 5 by memory now lol. 

great point lol. probably have less than 5 by memory now lol.

3

mine, and both daughters

3

mine, and both daughters

Plus all the phone numbers from my childhood, none of which are currently valid. 

I'm inclined to disagree here. Not that having more information to learn makes you smarter, but much like the nutrition example, that having the mental exercise of learning allows you to effectively "feed your brain" when you're young and allow it to reach its potential.

I will admit that I don't have scientific backing for that claim. Perhaps because it doesn't exist, or perhaps because I haven't looked. But my personal belief is that a lot of what we call "intelligence" is a sort of pattern-matching function that we each have in our brains. Some people have more horsepower for that computer and a higher IQ potential, sure, but *all* people have more ability to reach their potential if they are feeding their brain with more patterns, at an earlier age.

Just as you won't be as tall as you "should" if you're malnourished as a child, I think you won't be as smart (as measured by IQ tests) as you "should" if you aren't exposed to intellectual stimulation at a young age and throughout your childhood.

In 1923 a kid who grows up on the farm and isn't exposed to much information outside of going to the little red schoolhouse and talking to his parents (who don't read for leisure) is probably not going to reach his IQ potential.
 And IQ tests are basically a test of problem-solving, so those people who have more experience solving problems usually do better than those who don't.

Good points.

I just think that smart kid on a dirt farm in 1923 is still wondering a lot about things and toiling and being creative.  The not-so-smart kid today, while literally having all the world's knowledge at his fingertips, is watching cat videos and is still dull - not wondering about HOW to do anything.
A gifted mind is always churning, often whether the person wants it to or not.  A dull mind isn't busy...almost ever.  
I was 'gifted' as a child and have a certain IQ and have taught for 16 years.....and I know that even teachers mistake high-achieving go-getters for being gifted.  Gifted kids are often the ones with poor grades or behavior issues.

I realize the convo isn't about gifted kids, but IQ is a bell curve, and if it's increased, that just means the bell curve has moved.  And I'd attribute nearly all of it to nutrition.  Just think back to when you were a kid - the times you were bored out of your mind and you had to come up with something to entertain yourself.....THAT was stimulating to your mind, THAT was good exercise for your brain.  Kids today are almost never bored. 
All of those ipads should get flowers on Mother's Day.

Good points.

I just think that smart kid on a dirt farm in 1923 is still wondering a lot about things and toiling and being creative.  The not-so-smart kid today, while literally having all the world's knowledge at his fingertips, is watching cat videos and is still dull - not wondering about HOW to do anything.
A gifted mind is always churning, often whether the person wants it to or not.  A dull mind isn't busy...almost ever. 
I was 'gifted' as a child and have a certain IQ and have taught for 16 years.....and I know that even teachers mistake high-achieving go-getters for being gifted.  Gifted kids are often the ones with poor grades or behavior issues.

I realize the convo isn't about gifted kids, but IQ is a bell curve, and if it's increased, that just means the bell curve has moved.  And I'd attribute nearly all of it to nutrition.  Just think back to when you were a kid - the times you were bored out of your mind and you had to come up with something to entertain yourself.....THAT was stimulating to your mind, THAT was good exercise for your brain.  Kids today are almost never bored. 
All of those ipads should get flowers on Mother's Day.

Agreed. And as I tried to say, "more information" isn't itself important, because you can be a passive consumer of information and it doesn't help you much at all. It's interaction that is important. Watching a screen doesn't help. 

But that smart kid on a dirt farm in 1923, as wondering and toiling and creative as he might be, simply may not have the resources he needs to reach his potential. 

So I think it's more than nutrition. BTW I do think nutrition is a HUGE factor, probably under-appreciated. If you've read Yuval Harari's Sapiens, one of the key things that early human ability to cook our food got us was the ability to use those calories we consume to feed our brains, rather than wasting tons of energy just trying to digest the raw stuff. The human brain is maybe 2% of body weight, but 20% of daily calorie usage. Gotta be able to power it!

Seals attack US submarine ...