successive generations getting smarter, more moral

[kf7mjf]

http://reason.com/archives/2015/02/17/a ... arte/print

[WaJim]

Poppycock.

[Massivedesign]

My 8 year old struggled to read the article, then stole $5 off of the kitchen counter..



But in all seriousness, I believe the IQ part, no question about it... But the moral?

Since the Enlightenment, humans have demonstrated dramatic moral progress. Almost everyone in the Western world today enjoys rights to life, liberty, property, marriage, reproduction, voting, speech, worship, assembly, protest, autonomy, and the pursuit of happiness. Liberal democracies are now the dominant form of governance, systematically replacing the autocracies and theocracies of centuries past. Slavery and torture are outlawed everywhere in the world (even if occasionally still practiced). The death penalty is on death row and will likely go extinct sometime in the 2020s. Violence and crime are at historic lows, and we have expanded the moral sphere to include more people as members of the human community deserving of rights and respect. Even some animals are now being considered as sentient beings worthy of moral consideration.

I, personally, feel this is way off base. The new generation, I call them the Entitilists, have a very poor moral compass. They will only do something, if even or greater reciprocation is offered in return. They expect things to be given and not earned. They feel that respect is not earned, that respect is their right and you must respect that.

[joao01]

Since reading "Heaven is for Real" I have started to view dogs (at least some of them) as having a soul, although sentient might be a stretch (I'm not sure they are self aware).

[kf7mjf]

My 8 year old struggled to read the article, then stole $5 off of the kitchen counter..



But in all seriousness, I believe the IQ part, no question about it... But the moral?

Since the Enlightenment, humans have demonstrated dramatic moral progress. Almost everyone in the Western world today enjoys rights to life, liberty, property, marriage, reproduction, voting, speech, worship, assembly, protest, autonomy, and the pursuit of happiness. Liberal democracies are now the dominant form of governance, systematically replacing the autocracies and theocracies of centuries past. Slavery and torture are outlawed everywhere in the world (even if occasionally still practiced). The death penalty is on death row and will likely go extinct sometime in the 2020s. Violence and crime are at historic lows, and we have expanded the moral sphere to include more people as members of the human community deserving of rights and respect. Even some animals are now being considered as sentient beings worthy of moral consideration.

I, personally, feel this is way off base. The new generation, I call them the Entitilists, have a very poor moral compass. They will only do something, if even or greater reciprocation is offered in return. They expect things to be given and not earned. They feel that respect is not earned, that respect is their right and you must respect that.

Is this all encompassing? A certain percentage? I've pointed out elsewhere, that the "current generation" tends to be viewed poorly by preceding generations. Yet it was the horrible, decadent 20's which gave us the leadership of the so-called greatest generation. That generation bemoaned the work ethics of the children of the fifties... now ironically held up as some sort of grand American ideal. The generation fighting the current wars came of age when their parents were convinced their kids were just lazy video game players who never went outside and wouldn't amount to anything.

I'm sorry, each and every generation tends to be denounced as having lost the moral compass of the one that came before. And yet we are still here. Everyone reading this has been part of a generation denounced by their elders.

I'm oddly unconcerned.

[Massivedesign]

I'm sorry, each and every generation tends to be denounced as having lost the moral compass of the one that came before. And yet we are still here. Everyone reading this has been part of a generation denounced by their elders.

Right, and look at how society has changed? When I was a kid, I would be out of the house at dawn and back in time for dinner. Having to call from whatever friends house, however many miles away every once in a while, if that. I would never let my kids do that now. When I was a kid, if I forgot to lock my front door, no biggie, I would never do that now. I am 38, so not "too old".

Younger kids are committing more heinous crimes, kids are becoming sexually active at a younger age and becoming parents, 2-Parent working households are becoming the norm, forcing a Videogame/TV babysitter to raise the kids.

Look at how crime has changed from just 30 years ago and tell me that our moral compass hasn't changed.

FYI- All this is my personal opinion. I have no citations to back it up. Just my view on how the world has changed.

[kf7mjf]

I've heard the "play all day, leave doors unlocked, but not anymore" going back to my grandmother, who grew up in the Depression.

As for the other points, I need to look at data for the crimes. Sexually active, or maybe sexually aware? Regardless, once a person hits puberty, they are basically wired to fuck. The only question is how society responds. I doubt post pubescent children fucking is something new, I do think they are exposed to more sexual awareness than other generations, both good and bad, and the result of that has to be handled by the parents. Some will give out birth control and have frank talks, others will demand total chastity.

[cmica]

I'm sorry, each and every generation tends to be denounced as having lost the moral compass of the one that came before. And yet we are still here. Everyone reading this has been part of a generation denounced by their elders.

Right, and look at how society has changed? When I was a kid, I would be out of the house at dawn and back in time for dinner. Having to call from whatever friends house, however many miles away every once in a while, if that. I would never let my kids do that now. When I was a kid, if I forgot to lock my front door, no biggie, I would never do that now. I am 38, so not "too old".

Younger kids are committing more heinous crimes, kids are becoming sexually active at a younger age and becoming parents, 2-Parent working households are becoming the norm, forcing a Videogame/TV babysitter to raise the kids.

Look at how crime has changed from just 30 years ago and tell me that our moral compass hasn't changed.

FYI- All this is my personal opinion. I have no citations to back it up. Just my view on how the world has changed.

I was the same way. Had video games but could care less to play em. Now shit kids on em 8 plus hrs.

I've heard the "play all day, leave doors unlocked, but not anymore" going back to my grandmother, who grew up in the Depression.

As for the other points, I need to look at data for the crimes. Sexually active, or maybe sexually aware? Regardless, once a person hits puberty, they are basically wired to fuck. The only question is how society responds. I doubt post pubescent children fucking is something new, I do think they are exposed to more sexual awareness than other generations, both good and bad, and the result of that has to be handled by the parents. Some will give out birth control and have frank talks, others will demand total chastity.

OH come on! there was a damn post on this. kids are now active at 12 and younger., and BJ are not considered cheating. Your a writer go research it.

[kf7mjf]

OH come on! there was a damn post on this. kids are now active at 12 and younger., and BJ are not considered cheating. Your a writer go research it.

You should see the crap I just put up today on Amazon. It disturbs me that there is a market for it.

[schnoov]

Slavery and torture are outlawed everywhere in the world (even if occasionally still practiced).

This part is where I stopped paying attention, because the author lives in a pretend fantasy world. There are more people caught in slavery in the present day (27-30 million) than the aggregate total from the atlantic slave trade (11-12 million), which is what most Americans seem to think of as slavery.

[kf7mjf]

It is outlawed everywhere. And per capita, it is rarely practiced. The article has more of a western tone though, rather than global. But even if we restrict his arguments to western culture, there are a number of valid points to be made.

[CQBgopher]

an interesting take on society, but the debate about the proper definitions-in-context of many words in that opinion piece could have this thread derailed to the point of no return without really even getting that deep into the semantics and obscure usages out there in vocabulary land.

3/10....try harder.

[Classic]

More Moral?? No way. This is a generation of "it's all about me". They have little to no respect and expect everything to be given to them. Do they have better tools to learn with than my generation did? Yes Does this make them any smarter? Nope but it does allow them to learn more built on what the prior generation built.
I got one more thing to say - Those snotty nose little peckerwoods better learn that ya gotta earn it yourself pretty damn quick because they keep on voting in the scourge of the earth trying to get something for nothing

[H2obouget]

.
NM

[usrifle]

More Moral? Really?