Do you need someone to think for you?

[The Devil's Sergeant]

Last night on Larry King Live Larry King says to Penn Jillette," You can be individuals as much as you like, somebody has to think for the masses." (7:40 into this video)

So that begs some questions. Do you need some one to do your thinking for you? If so, why? Actually if you need some one to be able to your thinking for you I don't expect you to be able to answer that.

And if as I suspect the majority will answer that they don't need someone's thinking, do you think that that the majority need still need some to do the thinking for them? Isn't that rather elitist of you if think that?

Or do you think as I do that "I am a fully competent individual, fully capable want to make important decisions for myself. And I believe the vast majority are similarly capable?

[D.B. Cooper]

Voted for the third, the second is stupid elitism.

[Ron Burgundy?]

Don't know yet. Hold on, I'm getting some coaching for my reply.

[That Damn Robot!]

Given the opportunity most people could probably think for themselves, but most of the time people don't have to.

As for needing people to think for us, definitely not. The trouble is, we have plenty of individuals and bodies trying to fill that role. So I've been told, anyway.

[NLegari]

People can think for them selves. We are not a bunch of mindless animals. Everyone can make their own decisions unless they have some horrible illness that makes them unable to think.

[BNS]

I'm not sure what to vote, I'd like to think that most people can and should think for themselves, but that is not reflected in worldly trends.

[Manco]

At first the second sounded too elitist for me, but then I started counting how many of my acquaintances actually have an own opinion. The result was pretty meagre and this is in a higher middle class and university educated environment. (some even literally let others decide who they should vote for)

Still voting third though, I'm an optimist.

[wilting]

We are all idiots outside our respective fields of expertise, and some have more expertise than others.

People generally act in a reasonable manner based upon the information available to them though. The information can however often lead to incorrect conclusions, even if they are reasonable ones in context.

What I would say is that we all think for the "masses" in our own way, if you get my meaning.

[razor-]

At first the second sounded too elitist for me, but then I started counting how many of my acquaintances actually have an own opinion. The result was pretty meagre and this is in a higher middle class and university educated environment. (some even literally let others decide who they should vote for)

Still voting third though, I'm an optimist.

Felt the exact same way.

[C-Rob]

Third, because as idiotic as humanity seems, they just need the opportunity and they will be fine at making their own decisions. This just doesn't happen- the people trying to think for us have crippled many so they can.

[NogaOsibisa]

I think it's ok to have someone to remember oneself to be able to think and judge independantly by one own's reason.

[Captain Blackadder]

Can someone please time me which way I should vote

[gojira]

Can someone please time me which way I should vote

Option No 1:

I am not capable of thinking for myselfand most others aren't either.

Glad I could help,

[Barry Goldwater]

Voted 3rd, though my faith in man's ability to think for himself has been tested time and time again - only to come out in worse shape than before, every damn time

[Kiljan Arslan]

To me most are capabble of thinking for themselves Penn Jilliette however I highly doubt it.

[Icefrisco]

I think we need at least some person to think for us. Most Americans (liberal and conservative)are not highly educated and only have basic grasps of political knowledge. There are millions of Liberal Americans who say, "Bush should be put on trial!" If you ask why, they just say, "For crimes", or my favorite is, "Because he hates Blacks." (Many Americans think stupidity during Katrina=Racism). On the other side of the aisle, Conservatives also have their stupid beliefs about global warming such as, "Its been hot out this week, global warming may not be so true..." (they fail to realize global warming will melt the ice caps which will actually cause global freezing).

Hamilton was right on target when he spoke fervently about the tyrannical power of the average stupid American. Unfortunately, implying that educated politicians should hold more power than millions of uneducated Americans is somehow "elitist" or "fascist".

[roy34543]

Well the thing is, All of our thoughts our shaped by other expeirences and things that are told to us, its perfectly possible for the exact same person to "think" differently because of outside influences, and theres no such thing as a human who thinks for himself and would have the same opinion irregardless of outside influences.
Its just some individuals are more susceptible to these outside influences, and just as easily, Some people are led by outside influences to think they are thinking for themselves to a lesser or greater degree, When this is unfortunatly untrue.

[Kiljan Arslan]

Katrina doesn't equal racism Katrina equals massive ups by Local, State, and Federal Goverment and Bush decding to not be there when leadership was needed. (That was his main fault).

[Celsius]

I can think for myself thank you very much.

[Yuri Orlov]

I am not smart enough to think...
I need a robot