Re:Why Don't Americans Elect Scientists?
by uuilly on Tuesday February 14, 2012 @03:41AM
(#3589196)
Fantastic book. He also talks a lot about how being good at one thing doesn't make you good at another. Sowell's notion of effective intelligence is rooted more in experience than in aptitude. So a scientist with no political experience is less likely to be good at politics than someone of lesser intellect with that experience.
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One example is president Jimmy Carter. Brilliant thinker, scientist and business man. Mediocre skills in leadership and absolutely dismal in working through beauracracy. He had the one-two punch of having an oil crisis and recession, unlike Obama he just couldn't get it turned around in time for the next election.
Re:Why Don't Americans Elect Scientists?
by arethuza on Tuesday February 14, 2012 @05:13AM
(#3589413)
I could remember that Carter was in the US Navy - turns out he had a pretty interesting career there - including being in charge of a team disassembling an onshore experimental reactor after a meltdown!
Re:Why Don't Americans Elect Scientists?
by ams6110 on Tuesday February 14, 2012 @12:01PM
(#3590739)
Yeah I recall him touring Three Mile Island not long after the accident. Carter is not lacking intelligence, but his political skills were certainly lacking and his presidency was pretty much a debacle.