Wisdom: Most important trait in leaders

Dennis Prager in a commentary on Deuteronomy in The Old Testament cites this verse emphasizing the importance of wisdom in leaders: “Deuteronomy 1:13. “Pick from each of your tribes men who are wise, discerning and experienced and I will appoint them as your heads.”

Prager points out that God did not tell Moses to pick good men to be leaders.

He comments: “Wouldn’t a good person be one of the major attributes, if not the major attribute in a leader? While the Torah takes for granted that a leader should be a good person, goodness alone is not sufficient. That is why all the traits listed here concern wisdom.

“There is an extraordinarily important reason here – one of the most important in the Torah and in life: A good society is unobtainable without wisdom.”

Later on Prager brings that teaching up to date this way: Communism Illustrates Lack of Wisdom

“In the global sphere, the most obvious modern example of the devastating effects of good intentions without wisdom has been communism, which killed about one hundred million people, non-combatants all, and enslaved a billion more.

Communist tyrants had tens of millions of supporters within their countries and around the world. Most communist leaders were power hungry, cruel and evil people, and many of their supporters were immoral sycophants. But a significant number of people supported communism because they thought it would make a better world.

“For many of its supporters, communism was rooted in a desire to do good. The many millions of people all over the world who supported communism did not think that they were supporting unprecedented levels of murder and torture, or the near deprivation of the most fundamental human rights for a substantial percentage of humanity. … “What supporters of communism lacked was wisdom. “With regard to morality, not to mention economics, they had no wisdom. They were fools.

“Western supporters of communism were frequently labeled “useful idiots” – a term often attributed to Vladimir Lenin, the father of Russian communism.”

Later, Prager added: “Fools may be personally kind and generous, may be loyal friends and devoted spouses. … “One should add that communists also lacked a fixed moral code and a transcendent moral code.”

Still later he quotes Lenin again(paraphrasing here): “good and evil were whatever furthered the interests of the communist parties.”

How Might Lack of Wisdom Affect Artificial Intelligence The commentary in his “The Rational Bible,“ book series suggests the importance, to me, at least, in developing rational rules regarding the new rave development, Artificial Intelligence. That is why all three traits listed here concern wisdom. There is an omission in rules I’ve seen regarding Artificial Intelligence.

While computer-driven results should create some practical decisions, it seems to me at least, that without basic empathy being included in the AI process, something like infusing The 10 Commandments – the basis for a civil and moral society – into the mix, the developers may create a system that will produce logical decisions but come out short on civil behavior.

One goal of AI will be to reduce the need for manpower (jobs for humans).

We live in a computer-driven world, one where humane beliefs are in danger.

Power-driven individuals could use such a system to control all of humanity, and using a machine – AI – as the progenitor.

Teachers’ union – antifa ally

That was the headline above the commentary of Hugo Gurdon, editor-in-chief of the Washington Examiner, in its July 16 edition. His column, a weekly feature of the Examiner, is titled “Letter From the Editor.”

His entire column bears repeating but in the interest of space, I’m going to mention only a few of his intelligent observations.

He starts this way: “A Powerful opponent of school choice, the National Education Association, made a great case against itself recently by secretly deciding to refer to President Donald Trump always as fascist.

“America’s biggest teachers union, a propaganda and organizational arm of the Democratic Party, hid its convention decisions, but Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow of the American Culture Project and proponent of school choice, revealed them.”

The column listed this eye-opening report: “One union decision reads, ‘NEA pledges to defend democracy against Trump’s embrace of fascism by using the term facism (sic) in NEA materials to correctly characterize Donald Trump’s program and actions.’” Gurdon then comments “One reason to get your child out of NEA classrooms is that its members obviously don’t know how to spell ‘fascism.’” Then he adds a bigger reason: “By flinging the “fascist” insult, the union shows that it doesn’t understand it and ignorance is a poor qualification for teaching.”

Gurdon goes on to point out that President Trump doesn’t employ any of the features of a fascist administration; no paramilitary force, cult of war, imperial designs or ideological dynamism.”

Gurdon cited the case of 10 antifa members who have been charged with the attempted murder of a Texas police officer who was intervening to stop their assault on the home of an ICE officer.

He cites the relationship of antifa and big labor through the Democratic party before closing this way: “Democrats, labor unions and antifa are kicking traditional restraint to the curb so they can fight a president who is implementing policy he promised and which got him elected. Chief among them is immigration enforcement, which is the one most supported by the public – the most democratic.

“So that’s the modus operandi of the Left and Democrats. They hate America, some openly and some at least implicitly.

“For years they used immigration to make America less American. Actual Americans hate this. Actual Americans voted for the Left’s diligent work of destruction to be undone. This is happening. So, the Left is taking up arms against its country.”