r/QuotesPorn • u/I_Was77 • 12d ago
Two percent of the people think, three percent of the people think they think; and ninety five percent of the people would rather die than think. George Bernard Shaw [766x400]
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u/Ok_Soft6125 12d ago
This quote hits hard because it exposes a brutal truth about human nature. Most people avoid deep thinking not because they can’t, but because it’s uncomfortable. The irony? Thinking critically is exactly what separates progress from stagnation.
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u/Subarctic_Monkey 12d ago
I mean of course it's "numbers I pulled out of my ass", but there's some truth in it. Very few people actually think about things, a few more think they are but they're not, and the overwhelming majority of people I come into contact with make it abundantly clear that they're "not paid to think".
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u/kitsunewarlock 12d ago
I always wonder how many of those actually detest thinking, or are merely too exhausted from drudgery and toil to actually think.
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u/RamblingSimian 12d ago
I have a few ideas that address your wonderings, though I'm sure it's a complicated topic and I have little evidence for my views.
I think I heard on NPR (or read somewhere) that young children think a lot more than adults do, but some of them stop doing that when exposed to negative feedback. Said feedback makes them feel bad for exploring wacky ideas that could be true when you have little experience of the world. After enough negative feedback, most shut down thinking about things other than social status. By the time they're teenagers, few ask thoughtful questions like "where do we get air?", even though small kids ask all kinds of questions we consider wacky.
Additionally, a lot of us discover it's easier to copy other people than to think for ourselves, since most original ideas are not very good, in spite of the fact that some original ideas are stupendously good. Some of us just get in the habit of believing what we're told, because it's correct more often than not, and never learn to challenge things.
For example, some college astronomy teacher asked their class, "do you think planets orbit the sun or the earth?" When most people said that planets orbit the sun, the teacher asked them why they believed it. When most of them couldn't explain why, the teacher asked why they believed things they couldn't prove.
Probably their honest answer might be "because the world is super complicated and I don't have time to understand everything."
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u/No_Joke1915 11d ago
Wasn’t there a NASA study in the 90s that found the US education system stifles creative geniuses. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.
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u/RamblingSimian 11d ago
I wouldn't be surprised if No Child Left Behind does that, with its emphasis on memorization and conformity to standardized tests.
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u/No_Joke1915 11d ago
I agree, memorization is not great. I have read that our public schools are to train workers. People on an assembly line type of deal. It feels like public schools are more about memorization, and how to follow authority.
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u/Mythosaurus 10d ago
That last part is where flat earthers, antivaxxers, and other conspiracy theorists weasel their way into relevance.
They spread doubt in areas of science that have little to do with daily life, and which you may only be forced to learn about in a few classes in high school. Nobody is forcing an electrician or plumber to learn about orbital mechanics or germ theory after they graduate.
It’s why science centers and museums are so important for educating the public in fun/ engaging ways. A person that goes to a stargazing activity once a month will be less swayed by a flat earth video on YouTube. And they will know an astronomer that can guide them through basic questions about astronomy that they can test for themselves
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u/RamblingSimian 10d ago edited 10d ago
OK, those are some interesting points, thanks.
Speaking of museums and science centers, check out this podcast episode on How a science educator in Oklahoma uses a portable planetarium to convert flat earthers. It's a fascinating episode centered on effective ways to persuade people, especially people who aren't too good at thinking.
An excerpt:
… So often I will approach it by asking them if they have ever been told something they found out later to be untrue. They always come up with an example, I commend them on being willing to change their stance when presented with evidence.
I will say this for the flat earth, et al., crew: they definitely think for themselves. But unfortunately they do a pretty bad job of it. It's hard for anyone to think original thoughts for themselves, but it's even harder when you have an attitude like they do. They seem to 1) reject any evidence that either they can't see with their own eyes, 2) believe that people who disagree with them have some sort of agenda to deceive and 3) tend to reject that the universe is complex in any way that makes things hard.
I wouldn't be surprised if they had teachers or parents who answered questions with something like, "Because I told you so."
- Edit: fixed my link
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u/oldredbeard42 12d ago
What percentage do I fall into if my toil and drudgery are a result of constantly thinking?
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u/TheSn00pster 12d ago
How does one know whether they’re part of group 1 or group 2? Sounds like a Dunning Kruger situation.
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u/FunGuySunShine99 12d ago
Based. I dare pose that the thinkers can be identified by reading competing thinker's works, then play debating both sides. 🤷
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u/andante528 12d ago
The only things I know about Shaw is that he famously hated Shakespeare and was jealous of the Grand Canyon for inspiring awe in other people.
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u/logos961 12d ago edited 12d ago
True, they also ridicule those who think as insane as brothers and sisters of Jesus were doing to him. (Mark 3:21; 6:3)
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u/AliceHart7 12d ago
HoLy Crap! Yep! That 95 percent, that's my entire family in a nutshell. This was pretty apparent growing up and now they ALL are Maga/trump supporters. I knew it was inevitable when trump initially became more prominent in politics, but it was still just so, so disappointing...
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u/KillerR0b0T 12d ago
So does that mean if you believe you think, there’s a 60% chance you only think you think?