IMO this is more evidence of Evolution by natural selection.. We are not as evolved as we think we are.. we are part of "the great ape" family and it has taken billions of years just to get where we are now.. Evolution by natural selection doesn't mean that the most intelligent creature prospers.. as an example.. I recommend the movie 'Idiocracy'.. "a movie that started out as a Comedy and ended up as a Documentary". Point being is that we are just Animals/ Mammals, with selfawareness..We have the capability to do better.. and we should..

The problem is that the principal way that knowledge is passed down through the generations to is through writing. But that requires people to read, an activity that is going out of fashion.

I think the most followed philosophy today is Kardashianism.

History is the topic that American school children fail at the most. We don't even have philosophy class. We could certainly use one.

It's not necessarily slow... it's an exponential process. The more you know the faster you keep learning. That being said, you have to consider the discontinuities in that process, a big one is the dark ages, among other hiccups along the way. And yet, we have come a long way.

Sorry to say that we may have peaked now anyway, there is good evidence that the human brain has now started to shrink due to the effects of civilization and especially since the advent of agriculture. There are now strong pressures favouring low IQ, such as celibacy, contraception and cultural distractions from breeding, while the dangers and threats which created our brains on the plains of Africa are now gone, we just don't need them anymore. While many of the dangers inherent in having a violent nature are minimized by medicine yet the advantages remain, and the need for social cooperation is less as technology takes over many of its roles. So we will become more violent and antisocial as well, until in the end without society or intelligence, we are total dependent on technology to survive, but can no longer repair the technology we inherit, and then we go extinct.

I think it's because guys like Plato are rare anomalies in our species. 99.9% of us, including me, are like Al Bundy.

Really? I disagree. "Justice" and "political health" may be topics of discussion today, but I cannot say I agree with Plato. Why do you believe that HIS teachings are particularly relevant today? He may have had a good foundation, but he is not exactly relevant today. You tell me.

because our lives are so short

Pride, self superiority, tribalism.

I think most humans do not want to learn, they just want to be told how and what to think, how to live, and what to do by their authority figures, which requires no effort on their part.

With that average I.Q. of a human being only 100, you are asking/expecting more than the average human is capable of. Think less of a typical (average) human pondering erudite philosophy and more of him throwing feces from the security of a perch in the top of the trees.

Compared to what?

If you're interested in pursuing idea further and haven't already read it, I recommend Rebecca Goldstein's Plato at teh Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away

[goodreads.com]plato-at-the-googleplex

Martin Luther King, Jr., credits Plato with shaping (or helping shape) his concept of justice. (When he was working on his doctorate at Boston University he sat in on a large Plato class in Harvard.)

Does anyone see ANY comparison to the U.S. today in Plato's Oligarchical system? In an oligarchical system, the desire for wealth is the primary motivator.

I agree. He is building foundation of Ethics. Also my favorite Philosopher.

Also his books are not long, nor surprisingly boring.

Who has the time to read Plato? I don't - my life is full with my business, my wife, my kids and our recent grand baby - none of which leaves time to read Plato - not that I would anyway - even if I had the time - I'd rather watch flies f--k. And that's because I don't need Plato to tell me what I already know or to instill in me basic common sense. Americans aren't slow to learn - OK, well some are - but those who are, likely couldn't spell "Plato". In terms of the issues that we face today - I would say that the average American gets it Their life experiences dictate what they do with that knowledge - not anything they read in a book. Plato didn't tell me that discrimination is wrong or that people that don't vote hurt the very democracy and freedoms they're protesting to preserve or that nothing good can come from a govt. whose majority is from one party and subsequently, one mindset - I figured this out on my own.

There are three kind of peopl- traitor 2-ignorant 3- between.
traitors usually united against Enlightenment.
and their best tool»»»»»»charge→kill
they stoped it in history

[goodreads.com]

Plato was more elitist and totalitarian than any Fascist, Soviet Communist, Ayatollah, or cult leader. Thankfully, his fantasies of governance have never been put into practice.

Since when mankind learned from History?

People are probably slow to learn because traits necessary for complex ideas are not promoted in the genepool.
In general, people are lazy and feel entitled to tell others how to live based on ignorance, as opposed to making an effort to learn and argue the facts. You don't need facts if you can appear to be confident a use bluster to hide your inadequacies.

The main problem I see is that evolution tends toward complexity. The world has become so complex today it is impossible for the average person to know much and it's not getting better but worse. Also, our resources are limited and more and more are going without. The need to survive beats the desire for knowledge. An increasing number are sliding down the Maslow's heirarchy of needs ladder.

Plato, a man born ahead of his time I think.