Another time [the Buddha] said, "Suppose a man is struck by a poisoned arrow and the doctor wishes to take out the arrow immediately. Suppose the man does not want the arrow removed until he knows who shot it, his age, his parents, and why he shot it. What would happen? If he were to wait until all these questions have been answered, the man might die first." Life is so short. It must not be spent in endless metaphysical speculation that does not bring us any closer to the truth. - Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys

Buddhism is an interesting religious tradition. In fact, it is not even always considered a religion, but rather a family of beliefs and practices. Buddhists trust in what are referred to as the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha which are respectively the Awakened One, the Teachings and the Community.

The Buddha is believed to have been a man named Siddhartha Gautama who shared many teachings during his lifetime sometime around the 5th century B.C. The teachings of the Buddha tend to shy away from the so-called 'Big Questions' of life. This is generally seen as demonstrative of his aversion to contemplating these issues, as they distract from the pursuit of true knowledge known as Enlightenment, a state free from worldly pleasures and suffering. Experience is emphasized over philosophical musings, although Buddha did not actively dismiss philosophy.

The quote at the beginning of this article demonstrates the Buddhist theory of why philosophical musings on the meaning of life are futile and/or distracting. It can be seen as Nihilistic, but in fact is better described as Pragmatic.

The arrow (life) should be addressed, rather than the shooter (is there meaning/God), the source (our/the Universe's origins), or why he was shot (why are we here). This is a fairly unique stance for any religious or even quasi-religious tradition, as it leaves out the usual purpose of humanity: serving a higher power. However, the Buddhist teachings are extremely interesting and can give insight to not only the meaning of life, but also to our life as it is.

“I mean, yes idealism, yes the dignity of pure research, yes the pursuit of truth in all its forms, but there comes a point I'm afraid where you begin to suspect that if there's any real truth it's that the entire multi-dimensional infinity of the Universe is almost certainly being run by a bunch of maniacs; and if it comes to a choice between spending another ten million years finding that out or on the other hand just taking the money and running, then I for one could do with the exercise.”- Frankie Mouse, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Legions upon legions of devoted readers of Douglas Adams will have no problem in telling you the Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. As calculated by the second greatest computer to have ever existed, also known as Deep Thought, it is 42. The number 42. There is no more complex meaning to life than that. The problem with this, however, is that The Ultimate Question is unknown. For that solution, the greatest computer to have ever existed was built: Earth. After many eons and more random events than could be imagined, the Question was discovered: "What do you get if you multiply six by nine?" as spelled out in Scrabble tiles.

While this is, indeed, both an amusing and fictitious question and answer (also incorrect according to most known methods of multiplication), it poses a reasonable question to any searchers for the meaning of life: what if the meaning of life does not make sense or, worse, offers futility rather than meaning?

We search because we want to know our purpose, to know that we mean something in a universal, not just a local, sense. The problem with searching is always what we might find. If, in fact, the reason for being is not for our own sakes but for some others' needs or even a cosmic gag, is the search still meaningful itself?

Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead.
- Anonymous Scotsman

There are so many ways to express this philosophy: Carpe Diem; Eat, Drink and Be Merry, for Tomorrow We Die; Memento Mori; Be Happy.

These endeavors go on record as the most pleasurable search for meaning: hedonism, in which the main pursuit of life is pleasure. Hedonism espouses the fact that man is in essence selfish and lustful. Hedonism is often joined with utilitarianism, which claims that we should act based upon the best interest of the group, or on a grander scale, everyone. We seek good for both ourselves and our families.  Coupling hedonism and utilitarianism, therefore, should result in everyone aiming for the happiness of everyone.

Hedonism has a long history. As early as the 5th century BC, Democritus was advocating the chief goal of life being "contentment," long before Plato was advocating the relentless search for knowledge. Epicurus advocated a similar position a century later, emphasizing the highest pleasure of a simple, moderate life of friends and philosophical discussions. Of course, most people today would associate Epicurus with the term Epicurean and high dining. There are also those who would say that Freud was a proponent of hedonism. His description of a "life instinct" is very similar to the philosophy's claims that people pursue pleasure.

Hedonism is closely associated with Egoism, a theory that claims that humans act solely in their own self-interest. They are sometimes combined and referred to as ethical hedonism. This combines ethical egoism, individuals seeking their own good, with hedonism. Ethical hedonism, in short, advocates that humans should rightly seek their own pleasure and act accordingly. It is important to distinguish, however, the search for pleasure from selfish acts. In order to contribute to one's meaning, the intention must be a pleasurable life rather than just a selfish, pleasurable act.

Ever wake up the next morning and regret an email you wrote when you had a little too much to drink the night before?  Well, Google has the solution!  Google recently released a new Gmail feature called, Google Mail Goggles, which makes you take a short IQ test in order to determine if you are sober enough to write an email intelligently.  This new feature is getting quite a bit of "buzz" (pun intended) on the internet.  Whether it catches on or not is to be determined, but none the less it is a very interesting concept.

What if we need to take an IQ test before we can operate our cars?  We would not only reduce DUI's but also reduce the number of people on the road making stupid mistakes that cause 10-car pileups on the freeway!  If this mini-IQ Test policy was in place for driving a car, what would the minimum IQ be?  Let's say it is 100 which is the average IQ score.  Would you be smart enough to drive?

Take a free IQ Test and find out what your actual IQ score is.

Should our country require an IQ Test in order to be a registered voter?  What's your opinion?

There has been quite a bit of talk on the Internet on the subject especially in the wake of this upcoming hotly debated and historic election between John McCain and Barack Obama.  As more and more people become a firm supporter of one side or the other, we are beginning to see more and more jabs back and forth from everyday voters going beyond the typical political mudslinging that comes with every presidential election.  This one's personal!

George W. Bush, whatever his actual intelligence might be, is not generally known for his impressive IQ.  Many Obama supporters have claimed that McCain is also IQ-challenged just like W.  And the stabs go back to Obama as being inexperienced and not ready to lead the country.

But what about our voter's IQ?  Should we have a minimum intelligence level ourselves in order to vote for a candidate?  That might solve many problems but create many others.  This country was founded on the principal that everyone has a say in who our leaders are - from the uneducated retail clerk to the highly educated doctor.  We all should be represented according to our forefathers.  True, the more educated might be better fit to see past the acting and empty promises, but there are no guarantees and our liberties would be sacrificed by such a policy.

Just for fun, let's say there is an IQ Test that is required before you can vote.  The average intelligence is around 100 IQ points, so let's say the cut-off for voting in the election is 120 points which would mean that only the top 20th percentile could vote.  Would you be included in this group?  Take one of our Free IQ Tests and find out!  

Post your IQ score as a comment to this blog.

Know Thyself. ~ Plato 

No discussion of the meaning of life is complete without a discussion of perhaps the most influential of all Western philosophers: Plato. Student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, founder of the Academy, he has influenced countless generations of free thinkers and under-the-influence philosophy students.  His most famous quote, "Know Thyself," is not only a favorite of coffee shop artwork, but an extremely simple summary of his philosophical thoughts on the meaning of life.

The foundation of Plato's philosophy is based on his Theory of Forms, an intense theory that nevertheless resonates. Forms, in essence, are unchangeable, untouchable types, or more clearly, Ideas. These ideas were not able to be sensed in the physical world. Rather, they are essences, typically described as aspatial and atemporal, that is, outside of space and time. They simply exist. Plato postulated that the forms existed in another part of the universe that is more pure than the space which we inhabit.

In Plato's teaching, there exist ideal Forms which we cannot know, but for which we should nevertheless strive. The ultimate Form, which also informs all the other Forms, is the Form of the Good. In essence, the purpose of human beings is to pursue the Good with the only means available to us: intelligence and reason. The Form of the Good is also recognized as the highest form of knowledge. You must use your rational thought to pursue knowledge, through which search you will pursue the Good, which is what drives all that is good and valued in life.

This may be confusing, but it simplifies to the fact that Plato believed each person must perform their own search for the Good, i.e. the meaning of life. Knowledge and rational thought were the keys, as a good student of the Socratic Method should know. There is little certainty in the philosophy of Plato, which makes it excellent reading for any student of the meaning of life.

This week saw record losses in the US stock markets.  The DOW Industrials closed on Friday at below 9,000 points, its lowest level in four years.  Investor confidence is near an all-time low.  The housing market, gas and food prices, and many other industries seem to ever more volatile than before.  What about your job?

If you are in the construction, mortgage, or transportation industries most likely you have already felt the effects of a tightening economy.  Perhaps you even lost your job or are one of the lucky ones who still has a job but for how long?  In the Business Week article, “How to Bounce Back from Career Setbacks”, Marshall Goldsmith outlines how we can mentally deal with the setbacks that come with this uncertain economy of ours.

Now is a better time than ever to start re-examining your career options and seeing what else is out there that you might be good at.  Why not start with something fun like a free IQ Test or “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” free quiz.  Then when you are ready to tackle it, try our in-depth Career Personality Test.  That Career Test will give you insight into your personality and what career options would be a good suit for you.  From there, you can determine whether you need to go back to school for a new degree or can explore new career options directly.  Taking a quiz like this would be a great free way to start doing something about the uncertainty in your career and not wait until it comes crashing down around you!

If you have ever had a son or daughter bring home a piece of homework that you had no clue how to complete yourself, then you're not alone!  Many of us who have children face this staunch realization of how much knowledge we have actually forgotten from our school years.  Has time really worked that much havoc on our factual knowledge skills?

At FunEducation, there is a way to fine-tune those factual knowledge skills in a fun and informative way.  Complete a free quiz and find out once and for all the answer to the infamous question, "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?".

Perhaps it would be better to start with 1st grade.  You can also test your 1st grade factual knowledge against our new "Are You Smarter than a First Grader?" free quiz.

The questions for both of these free quizzes are taken directly from actual 1st and 5th grade content standards.  This is the exact material real 1st and 5th graders are studying today.  Both tests are free, so you have nothing to lose!  Take a quiz now and find out if you really are smarter than a 5th grader.

Our free quiz, Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?, compares your results to the results of actual 10-year-olds. This great quiz can be found along side our IQ Test, Personality Test, and other great tests and quizzes on the FunEducation website. 

Once you have had a chance to take the 5th Grader quiz, why not check out our brand new quiz, "Are You Smarter than a 1st Grader?". This exciting 15-question quiz tests your knowledge of first grade material. 

Take the test if you dare and find out if you truly are smarter than a 6-year-old!

"In modern times there are opposing views about the practice of education. There is no general agreement about what the young should learn either in relation to virtue or in relation to the best life; nor is it clear whether their education ought to be directed more towards the intellect than towards the character of the soul.... And it is not certain whether training should be directed at things useful in life, or at those conducive to virtue, or at non-essentials.... And there is no agreement as to what in fact does tend towards virtue. Men do not all prize most highly the same virtue, so naturally they differ also about the proper training for it."

The statement above was written by the Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle over 2300 years ago.  But even though Aristotle's "modern times" are today's ancient times, there remains an ongoing debate about what students should be training toward in their formative years.  Proponents of training 'directed at things useful in life' (i.e., vocational education) like California high school teacher Chris Peters say a radical overhaul could make U.S. secondary schools more effective. High schoolers should spend their first two years meeting basic standards, supporters say, then if they pass subject exams, they could choose between a college-prep track and a variety of community college vocational programs.  

The question is a global one - recent reforms in Sweden led to the creation of a chain of “Knowledge Schools” that have been compared to IKEA and McDonald's for their emphasis on standardization.  These private schools that are free to the students achieve success by setting the expectation that students must be able to establish their own learning goals by the time they finish high school.

While the education experts may disagree, Aristotle recognized the difficulty we all face when trying to decide the path to personal virtue.  Following the links in this post should assist with your journey. 

Do you have the business sense to be the next Warren Buffet?  Maybe you are just not in the right career!  Take one of our free tests or free quizzes to discover yourself.  You can find your perfect career with our Free Career Test or perhaps find out whether you are management material with our Free Business Management Aptitude Test.

You might also check out MSN's article titled, "Is Buffet Smarter Than You?".  It gives a great overview of some of the business savvy Warren Buffet has employed over his successful career.  Maybe YOU will be the next big success story featured on MSN!

You hear the term, "IQ", used everywhere.  What's my sports IQ?  What's my 5th Grader IQ?  How well do you score on IQ Tests and Quizzes?  How much lower is Bush's IQ than mine?

Where does this term actually come from and what does it stand for?  IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient in English and is the translation of the German phrase, Intelligenz-Quotient, which was coined by the German psychologist, William Stern, in 1912.  Modern IQ tests measure intelligence based on a Gaussian bell curve with a median value of 100.  This means that 100 is used as the baseline for intelligence tests.  Those who score below 100 on IQ Tests are considered below average and scores above 100 on IQ Tests are considered above average.  Of course realizing a score on one particular IQ Test or other free quizzes such as the Free IQ Test does not deliver the entire picture of intelligence.  Many people are more visual learners and others are more auditory learners.  This is one factor that could affect intelligence scores. 

When taking IQ Tests on our website, we recommend taking both the Verbal Free IQ Test and the Free Spatial IQ Test.  That will test you in several different ways so you can be sure to get an accurate score.

Did you see the MSN article, "Why Americans Aren't Dumb?"

It outlines the suggestion that we are entering a dark age of reason due to our "WII-playing" ways but then counters that by saying that our average IQ has increased steadily for decades.  Are we really Smarter than a Fifth Grader?  Are we increasing in intelligence from generation to generation or are we losing ground?

Kids seem to be doing both.  They are excelling at certain academic areas and yet the average American student can't pick out America on the map.  But could the average American ever do this?

Why not try these concepts out yourself.  We offer a Kids IQ Test and a Free IQ Test for adults.  If you have kids, you can have them take their IQ Test, you can take your free quiz, and then both of you can compare the results!  Post your results as a comment to this blog.

Are you smarter than a fifth grader?  How about a college student?  What is your IQ?  These are all great questions to ask when exploring your own intelligence and where you are in life.

Let's start with the first question.  A lot of time has undoubtedly passed since you were in the 5th grade which is now the last year of elementary school.  Do you still remember all of the material you did when you graduated elementary school?  Would you even be able to pass a test that all 5th graders take at the end of the year?  Take our free "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" quiz and find the answer to that question right now.  It is a great start to self discovery.

Once that question is answered, how about a larger question of whether you are in the right job.  As time passes, interests change, personalities change - even your IQ can change.  How do you know what career options best fit your current personality?  That is the question that our Free Career Test addresses with its multi-point assessment.

If you don't like where you are in life, maybe it is time to go back to school and enroll in one of the great colleges for working professionals.  They now make it easy to get a higher education degree while still working and making enough money to support yourself.

How about starting with our Free IQ Test to see where you are with your IQ.  You might be surprised when you take the free quiz!

A visitor who took our Free IQ Test had a comment regarding one of the questions.

In order not to jeopardize the accuracy of your results on our free quiz, we have changed the question slightly but kept the meaning the same.

I have a couple comments with regard to an item on the IQ test, "If some CRAMMERS are WIDGETS and some WIDGETS are BLOGGERS, then some CRAMMERS are definitely BLOGGERS".

Comment #1:   In your explanation of the answer, you substitute the words CRAMMERS, WIDGETS, and BLOGGERS with the words CATS, ANIMALS, and DOGS, so the sentence reads "if some CATS are ANIMALS, and some ANIMALS are DOGS, then some CATS are definitely DOGS". However, this doesn't make any sense since ALL CATS are ANIMALS. It would make much more sense to use the words SNAKES, PETS, and DOGS as substitutions, so the sentence reads, "If some SNAKES are PETS, and some PETS are DOGS, then some SNAKES are definitely DOGS", in which case the answer would indeed be FALSE. (I prefer to use SNAKES rather than CATS since it is not entirely accurate to say that "SOME CATS are pets" since in actuality, "MOST CATS are pets", while the most accurate statement with regard to SNAKES would indeed be that SOME SNAKES are PETS).

Comment #2: Although the substitutions I suggested in Comment #1 further strengthen your contention regarding the answer, I am not so sure that this is always the case. For example, if I instead substitute the words CRAMMERS, WIDGETS, and BLOGGERS with the words DOGS, POODLES, and GRAY, so the sentence reads, "if some DOGS are POODLES, and some POODLES are GRAY, then some DOGS are definitely GRAY, wouldn't that make this sentence TRUE?

These are great comments and it is always good to be analytical of tests and questions especially with IQ Tests and Spatial IQ Quizzes.  These tests and quizzes are really meant to get your mind going as an exercise as much as an accurate assessment of your IQ score.  

Can you figure out the answer to this question?  Post a comment!

 

Have you seen the show, "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?"

I was wondering if I am really Smarter than a 5th Grader and so I took the free quiz on FunEducation.com to find out.  It turns out I really am smarter than a 5th grader.  Did any of you take the quiz and find out you are not smarter?  I'd be qurious to see your IQ score from a Free IQ Test or Spatial IQ Test and see if being Smarter than a Fifth Grader has an impact on IQ!

Take the test and post your results here in a comment and let's find out! 

I have wondered if food can have an impact on your IQ and so I went looking for an answer.  What I found was somewhat surprising!  Yes, fish and other foods rich in omega-3 fats and DHA can raise your IQ score especially when eaten while still developing or if your mother ate them while pregnant.

The answer was on an article on MSN: "Babies whose mothers consumed ample omega-3s, in particular DHA (97% of the omega-3s in the brain are DHA), score higher on IQ tests later in life, while low intake is associated with developmental delays. Omega-3s also might help prevent preterm births, as well as allergies and asthma later in life."

Do you eat a lot of fish?  Take a free IQ Test online and post a comment with your score.  Let's see if this is true!

The term, "IQ", stands for Intelligence Quotient and is a general measure of a person's intelligence.  It is widely used and commonly accepted as the standard for measuring intelligence in the United States and around the world.

You can find out your IQ score by taking a test such as our Free IQ Test or Spatial IQ Test.  There are also many other free quizzes on the internet you can use for a second opinion.

The scoring mechanism for calculating the IQ score is quite complex, however it's interpretation can be understood quite easily.  The average intelligence score is 100.  You can then take a Free IQ Test or Spatial IQ Test to find your score for comparison.  An IQ score of 100 is considered "average" or the 50th percentile.  The majority of the population falls into the 85-115 IQ score range.  A much smaller percentage fall into the below 85 and above 115 category.