"POPULATION IS GROWING" SAYING (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Tom Zurinskas]

>"The sum of the intelligence on the planet is
> a constant, but the population is growing."

That would seem to mean that a constant intelligence divided by an increasing population leads to a diminishing average.

If we're talking IQ it makes different sense.  The bell shaped curve of IQ probably would retain the same average and standard deviation with a larger population.  But knowledge does advance.  What is known now is far in advance of what was ever known before.  Techno-creep.


Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
see truespel.com phonetic spelling



>
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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC"
> Subject: Re: "POPULATION IS GROWING" SAYING (UNCLASSIFIED)
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>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
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>
> I see several undocumented attributions to Arthur C. Clarke; one to
> George Bernard Shaw.
>
> Also as "Wright's Axiom" ("The sum of the intelligence on the planet is
> a constant, but the population is growing." _Greatest Jokes of the
> Century Book 10_ by Thomas F. Shubnell, 2008, p. 105)
>
> and "Harvard's Second Law" ("The sum of intelligence on the planet is a
> constant; the population is growing." in _Peter's people_ By Laurence J.
> Peter, 1979 p. 194) (No results from searching Harvard Crimson Archives)
>
> Some variant is in _Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things go Wrong_
> by Arthur Bloch, 1977 (partial preview from Google Books: "Mr. Cole's
> Axiom: The sum of the intelligence on the planet is . . .", p.84).
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
>> Behalf Of Shapiro, Fred
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 7:27 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: "POPULATION IS GROWING" SAYING
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> ---------------
>> --------
>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: "Shapiro, Fred"
>> Subject: "POPULATION IS GROWING" SAYING
>>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --------
>>
>> I would welcome any help in tracing origins or early use of the
>> following saying:
>>
>> "The intelligence of the planet is constant, and the population is
>> growing."
>>
>> Fred Shapiro
>>
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
> Caveats: NONE
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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