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Children are not yet fools, but we shall turn them into imbeciles like ourselves, with high I.Q.'s if possible.
R. D. Laing
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote suggests that society often negatively influences the natural intelligence of children, turning them into less capable adults despite high IQs.

R. D. Laing's quote reflects a critical viewpoint on how societal norms and educational systems can stifle the innate potential and wisdom of children. It implies that rather than nurturing their natural curiosity and intelligence, we often impose limitations and conformist thinking, resulting in individuals who may excel academically yet lack true understanding and creativity.

Themes

ChildrenEducationIntelligenceSocietyImitation

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about the education system, one might use this quote to highlight the flaws in how we educate children.

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Here we have the paradox, the potentially tragic paradox, that our relatedness to others is an essential aspect of our being, as is our separateness, but any particular person is not a necessary part of our being.
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