Is Intelligence our main survival tool or is Intelligence a recipe for destruction of our living planet?

Applying our intelligence in personal, political and financial decisions is the only hope we have for achieving success. This applies to individuals as well as world governments.

but sometimes our intelligence makes us ignorant of how easily we can change the planet or the course of life

yes.

It's both. Our intelligence is ever-evolving for our own survival, but as a result, it is also what will ultimately cause our planet to be uninhabitable for humans.

Human intelligence has done more to harm the planet and people for thousands of years.

Applied with "reason", empathy and plain old common sense.

Here's the line I like to use: the dinosaur had a pea size brain and went extinct - humans have this incredible brain, but are responsible for their own extinction.

Greed is the factor in our extinction - not intelligence. We could have gotten out of this mess 30 some years ago if we had listened to the leadership Jimmy Carter. Instead we elected Reagan who took us down the road of the greedy corporatists.

I guess the liberals wouldn't know! LOL !

unfortunately, both

I think it is a double-edged sword that cuts both ways. Many very intelligent and highly educated people have come up with idiotic ideas about what's best for everyone! Many are also socially disfunctional, and humans are social creatures. When people become highly educated, they begin to think they know it all, and sometimes the obvious escapes them. We will probably never know it all, and sometimes those with common sense can see truths that the educated dismiss.

Common sense can be more critical to survival than any amount of education. I have noted all my life that those who are not educated are considered to be unintelligent, which is completely inaccurate in most cases.

I see that all the time. An electrical engineer, for example, can think he knows everything about brain surgery. Is it ego? Why do highly educated people think their area of education/expertise generalizes over to every thing else? It doesn't.

Exactly!

Humans are quite fragile creatures with little natural tools to our name. So we evolved into intelligent, resourceful creatures. Our level of intelligence is the sole reason why we're at the top of the food chain.

Ummm, ever swam with sharks? Camped in the mountains? You only think you are at the top of the food chain.

Haha. And yet, people can still kill sharks, bears, and anything that attacks us as long as we have learned how to protect ourselves. Our intelligence, which is demonstrated in our resourcefulness, ability to pass on knowledge, and ability to use tools, means humans can eat whatever meat we want.

We can only kill them if we get the drop on them first. Once they have us, its too late. And its their territory that they are familiar with.

Intelligence is both a survival tool and a destructive force.

Intelligence is our main survival tool. However it's also a double edged sword. The application of the knowedge we gain by way of our intelligence must be carried with empathy and responsibility. Something too many people seem to forget the more "intelligent" they become.
I suppose that's one reason that the bible says that the accumulation of too much knowlege is actually a bad thing. The more knowlege a person gains. The more they question things and want to know why something is the way it is. When a person is more ignorant, and aware of the fact, the more accepting they are of things they don't understand. It's much harder to shepard a knowlegable and questioning society than it is with an ignorant, accepting and submissive society.

I am not sure that the teachings of the Bible are intended to limit the gathering of intelligence. Rather, the Bible should be taken as a guide to one's morality. The two are not mutually exclusive. One can be moral and still be intelligent. For instance, we know what causes lightening. Its not God's finger. Its an electrical discharge to be avoided. Tornadoes are caused by wind shear. No mystery, They are not a manifestation of God. If they were, why are they atrtracted to churches?

It is a fatalistic approach to assume that everything is preordained, and we can't do anything about it. Even the Bible talks about mankind having "free will". Such free will can obviously be used for good or evil. The main thing is that we shoud be responsible for our own actions. That is probably the biggest lesson in the Bible. Even if everybody is a sinner, it doesn't mean we can go to church on Sunday and pray our sins away so we can start sinning again on Monday.

While I certainly appreciate what you say. Church policy has changed somewhat over time. As I'm sure it will in the future. But remember, it was routine in the day that men like Copernicus and Newton were widely labeled as heretics for theories and beliefs that today are common knowledge. The reason being, that these men were promoting ideas about things that were the pervue of the Almighty and should not be questioned.
But you are right I think that the church doesn't discourage intelligence. But it has and sometimes still does, discourage people from attempting to gain knowedge about things that they don't deem acceptable.

Intelligence is our survival tool. Its the stupidity that's killing us.

intelligence can be good or evil. War is evil and that requires intelligence and fixing our planet requires intelligence.
Thank-you for recognizing that our planet is alive and her health needs to taken care of

Human beings have evolved with the intelligence to outsmart themselves. We've become victims of our own success. Now, it's time to apply our intelligence in ways that seem counter-intuitive, because what for most of our existence as a species helped keep us alive is now killing us and our habitat.

Albert Einstein said. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot.

Will Rogers said "Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House?”

From what i can tell about the decline of Rome. Was these factors. When the Senate lost it's power. Due to emperors taking. Also when Rome stopped fearing it's people.

Some truth in all of that. Until evil people stop scheming ways to hurt others and seize power then it is probably leaning on the side of "a recipe for destruction of our living planet."

yeah but don't you know that "GREED" is the oldest sin in the book. Or is it jealousy.

I thought it was lust. The oldest profession and all that.

A single person is smart. A group of people are stupid

Collectively stupid.

Unless something is going to be done to protect our planet, we might not need to worry about it in a few generations.

True, if the Koch brothers get their way, we will all be buying air to breathe from Koch inc. in 20 yrs.

I feel that is right

Common sense is the most important tool for survival. I have seen many intelligent people who border on ignorant. Without common sense intelligence is useless. It is like having a warehouse full of tools, but can't fix anything.

We are not the only tool using animal anymore. Other animals have developed intelligence, in fact there is question that the dolphin may actually exceed us in that arena. But, we are the animal that is overpopulating and changing virtually every sq.. inch of this planet to OUR taste and specifications. And to think that this will not negatively impact both ourselves and all other living beings is naive at best.

The average person only uses 10% of their brain, so I would have to guess that mean we are 90% stupid.
If John Sununu uses 10%, that means that you Bob are at around .0005%

John?? Dad or Son?? LOL

That's because we can only use 10% of our brain. The brain has specific functions.