"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

🟢 Eleanor Roosevelt didn't really say this.

🟢 There's no hierarchy of mind quality. Everybody's mind is different but no one's is better than anyone else's. Would you switch minds with anyone? Probably not. OK then, how could theirs be better? If theirs isn't better probably yours isn't either.*

🟢 Talking about people is extremely important. Talking about one another makes human existence possible. People in society, organizations, neighborhoods, families, talk about each other constantly. Who's an asshole, who's a pleasure to work with, who's reliable, who's a flake, who's a sexual predator, who can be trusted, who's a snitch, and so on. Without sharing information about the people involved all human organization would fail and we'd all be weaker and alone. Also this kind of good gossip strengthens human groups by building emotional ties between people. Sure gossip is potentially harmful, but what human activity is not?

🟢 Talking about events is essential. How else are we going to know what people are up to and how they act in different situations? Without talking about events we can't talk about people, and talking about people is really important!

🟢 Talking about ideas is the least important of the three and the most potentially harmful. Logic, rationality, abstraction, these can be useful and enjoyable, sure, but unless they're grounded in a solid commitment to the fact that concrete truth about actual people is more important than any idea they are also dangerous traps that can be used to justify anything. It's astonishing how effectively people can confuse themselves and others with ideas.

🟢 This quote is dangerous propaganda. Don't fall for it!

🟢 Yes, I admit I'm being extreme for rhetorical effect.

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* This argument is the only thing I agree with Thomas Hobbes about.

#EleanorRoosevelt #GreatMinds #AverageMinds #SmallMinds #Gossip #ThomasHobbes