Historical idiocy of mankind

Sorry, but this reflection has nothing to do with stocks or tulips in Amsterdam for that matter (if you do not know about it then please read about Tulip Mania, Wikipedia) but instead has to do with things that simply annoy me when I am watching documentary on TV concerning the past or the present for that matter but then the documentaries are from developing countries.

The reason for why I am annoyed is because civilizations and developing countries are often being down talked and felt pity for and even worse is when people express amazement when something was accomplished. Why I wonder?


The intelligence of mankind has not changed for thousands of years! A slave that worked in Egypt for the Pharaoh was certainly as intelligent, or if you prefer, as stupid as I am. Yes, they did not have access to the same technology, education or knowledge as I have and have had but their intelligence was definitely equal.

It has always been my belief that mankind will accomplish anything that they decide to do and it is also my belief that it has also always been so. What mankind decided that they wanted to accomplish has however widely changed with time. When the Pharaoh said build a pyramid the problem simply was solved based on their knowledge and technological skills using equal intelligence as what we have.

We have problems to understand how they did this because we are development blind. We look upon it and think: "I would have needed a big truck to bring does rocks there and then I would need to use a big fork lift to move those rocks into the good locations to build the pyramid. It could not have been done any other way!"

We simply end up in trouble to see the old solution of the problem because we only see our current solution based on our knowledge. Still this does not make them stupid but instead it makes us, living today, stupid for thinking we are better and more intelligent.

In a strange way the previous solution to a problem will always become stupid when a new, better, cheaper and easier solution is found and if the previous solution was not known we tend not even to be able to realise what that solution was.

When we watch a documentary of an Indian tribe in South America or an African tribe for that matter where the people are living in, on and with nature then each and every one of them are as intelligent as we are. For all our knowledge that we have we would maybe not even survive one week in their environment without their help.

Our knowledge, which is adapted for us to survive in the big cities with cars, heated houses and apartments, tap water, toilets, refrigerators and supermarkets would not be of any help there. This does not make us more intelligent it only makes our knowledge different and adapted to survival in the society we have created for ourselves.

Due to technological accomplishments and especially internet which has made mankind into an information gatherer superior to even the most bustling anthill or bee swarm and our level of knowledge and information exchange is outstanding and will lead to even faster developments in the future to come.

What is more important in the long run? Intelligence or knowledge?