America Oversophisticated?

It is said that extremism of everything is bad, be it extremism in goodness.

No doubt that US is one of the most sophisticated nations of world in terms of intellecutal, scientific and economical background. However this comes at a cost.

IMHO, over-sophistication of a nation can lead to following adverse effects:

1) Multiplicity of Voices

There are found so many "intellectuals" saying so many things. This may result in a total intellectual chaos.

2) Complicated Technologies and Solutions

Over-sophistication can make it difficult for people to grasp and utilize new technologies or make mistakes more frequent in their application.

3) Central Control Becomes More Difficult

When you have so many "sophisticated assets", central management becomes almost impossible. By sophisticated assets, I mean everything related to national sophistication such as scientists, political groups, engineers etc. Central management can be crucial especially when it comes to issues like national security.

4) Increase in Vulnerabilities

When you increase the number of your sophisticated assets, your vulnerabilities will increase in a direct manner, as every asset is also a vulnerability.

For example, theoratically it is much easier to steal nuclear secrets from a nation with 100 nuclear scientists as compared to one that has only 10. Let us remember that almost every "nuclear nation" has acquired this technology from US through some way.

5) Over-Sensitivity or Paranoia

An over-sophisticated system or a collection of systems can be affected through much greater number of factors as compared to a much crude one. Thus, there are a greater number of developments that Americans need to be concerned with. As the number of developments increase, so will do the number of developments that can be summed as "bad news". This can range from terror attacks to fluctuation of Chinese currency to anything that comes to your mind. A society that is constantly fed with constant influx of these "bad news" may lose hope and turn insensitive to the developments or may become more sensitive or even paranoid.

Well, I tried to do some brain-storming and I will appreciate if you can contribute to this discussion.

Outlier, I see your point, but America is not over sophisticated; it is over complicated.

To me sophistication implys "knowledge" and America is dumbing down to the lowest common denominator as we speak. To say that America is over complicated and dumbin down at the same time may seem like a contridiction; but the majority of citizens are just to tired or busy to attain any real sophistication. Those with free time and money however can and do enjoy the "better things in life" that true sophistication brings.

The complication of American life brings on stress and division in the culture and in my opinion, fragmentation and chaos, and ultimately disentergration of society into a class struggle. I think we can see evidence to this even on ATS.

I guess I agree with you, just semantics huh?

My disagreement comes in two very brief arguments.

1. There is such thing as too much of a good thing. Knowledge is not one of those. (Unless you're a spy)
2. Intellectualism is not completely widespread. Centralized (MAINLY) around the coasts, the average is high enough, but the gap is still large. Case in point:

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Originally posted by outlier
1) Multiplicity of Voices

There are found so many "intellectuals" saying so many things. This may result in a total intellectual chaos.

Define intellectual. Is it someone with a Colledge education? A Ph.D.? Or just someone who reads allot and seems to be smart? There are two types of Intellectuals, the First type is those that earn the title through a number of routs. The most common is through Acedemia. Yes there is often conflicting voices but without disagreement progress will never be made. I think what you're witnessing now is what Whaaa said, also it doesn't help the Government seems to be encoraging it with it's modern day McCarthiest "Reds under the Bed" Phenomenon keeping the regular public even more off balance. The other type is just people wanting to look smart when all they are is good with words and a good memory.

2) Complicated Technologies and Solutions

Over-sophistication can make it difficult for people to grasp and utilize new technologies or make mistakes more frequent in their application.

Over-complication is a problem but companies who figure out that simplicity makes for a better and more profitable product other companies will get the drift and follow suit. See google and the IPod for proof of this phenomenon. The directed simplicity movement is still quite young but gaining traction quickly.

3) Central Control Becomes More Difficult

When you have so many "sophisticated assets", central management becomes almost impossible. By sophisticated assets, I mean everything related to national sophistication such as scientists, political groups, engineers etc. Central management can be crucial especially when it comes to issues like national security.

Less central control is a good thing as it will reduce the chances of a dictatorship from forming. Decentralization is good We will have to adapt to it as it cannot be stopped. Too far into the game and I've already gotten used to it(but then again I'm used to rapid change)

4) Increase in Vulnerabilities

When you increase the number of your sophisticated assets, your vulnerabilities will increase in a direct manner, as every asset is also a vulnerability.

Agreed there. Look at the flight systems on the F35, it's simplicity embodied in a multi-million dollar killing machine. Engineers know that the simplest solutions tend to be the best. The USN and USAF have been looking to simplify all there assets so high-school dropouts will be able to maintain and use them

For example, theoratically it is much easier to steal nuclear secrets from a nation with 100 nuclear scientists as compared to one that has only 10. Let us remember that almost every "nuclear nation" has acquired this technology from US through some way.

Military secrets are always the hardest to keep no matter how complicated they are.

5) Over-Sensitivity or Paranoia

An over-sophisticated system or a collection of systems can be affected through much greater number of factors as compared to a much crude one. Thus, there are a greater number of developments that Americans need to be concerned with. As the number of developments increase, so will do the number of developments that can be summed as "bad news". This can range from terror attacks to fluctuation of Chinese currency to anything that comes to your mind. A society that is constantly fed with constant influx of these "bad news" may lose hope and turn insensitive to the developments or may become more sensitive or even paranoid.

Well, I tried to do some brain-storming and I will appreciate if you can contribute to this discussion.

You're using the wrong termanology. You can never be too Sophisticated in your technology but you can make it over-complicated, it has lost wars in the past it was one Germanies primary failings in WW2, that lesson has not be lost on your country.

Also you can never make the interface of the technology too simple and it's maintanance as well. Making it cruder(as in less technologically sophiticated) would just give an edge to potential enemies.

[edit on 30-11-2005 by sardion2000]

[edit on 30-11-2005 by sardion2000]

So is the States now going into a "roman-danger-power" thing? I think your right, everything is so confused that power structure has been turned into George Carlin jokes(hilarious ones too!lol:lol. But think part is controlling the masses the rest is, just to get people's money and time.

Chaotic is a good way to describe our current political and govt state

I dont know if oversophisticated is the right word, but I think that the Smug alert episode of Southpark sums it up pretty well.

Most Americans are so smug that they dont care what goes on around them, or how it affects all that surrounds them. hence the state that we are in currently.


Southpark Smug Alert

[edit on 27-3-2007 by Don Wahn]

Sardion, what? So people who read a lot are not smart,eh? Okay, yeah,you're right, these people that sit around and watch T.V and play video games are much smarter than readers. Yeah...

1) I don't listen to intellectuals. What is any intellectual anyway?
2) I know how my car works. I am a guy.
3) Who cares, we all came up together.
4) The Russians sold nukes to CHina, Pakistan and India, outside of these nation's, France, Britain and others allready had nuke programs.
5) I do not understand

The US is anything but sophisticated. Look at what's popular on the boob tube - Jerry Springer, Maury, "Southpark", "Jack*ss". Sophisticated people don't weigh 300 pounds and wear Spandex, or live in trailer homes or frequent truck pulls and NASCAR races.

The US is a pathetic shadow of what it was intended to be.

Sophisticated? I peed myself laughing when I read that. Hillbilly would be more accurate.