Subject: Re: Israel will lose now
There's no modern theocracy that's done well by its people that I know of, they've always hindered the population to stay in power.

Well, there's always Saudi Arabia.

Yes, and last night I started thinking Brunei. I wanted to visit there after discovering the level of education was high. They tolerate Christians but have adopted Islam as their main philosophy. It's a monarchy but highly religious. I don't know much about them other than that.

So if there's only two countries in the world that had the potential to do well by their people economically that are governed by a theocracy, and they split in terms of those outcomes, it's hard to draw any real conclusions.

I agree. Indonesia seemed to tolerate Christians for some time, but now seem to have strife in areas. The heavy Sharia punishments seem to be ignored for blasphemy, etc.

One thing has always puzzled me. I could see how the Ashkenazi (?) Jews could develop a higher IQ. I have noticed "flash" thinking in some people. I'm more of a deliberate thinker - slower. But if you have a physical advantage and a culture that values education, after a while it should show. I only theorize a physical advantage, but it's after observing flash thinking - where in an instant the person seems to have done an analysis I would have to think through and double check. But how can the Chinese be on top of IQ with so many in the countryside and less educated? Perhaps I don't understand fully how they are measuring populations.