The World is Getting Smarter?

According to the "Flynn Effect," the answer is "yes." But only in certain ways and for certain reasons. Basically, our modern culture values the kind of abstract reasoning that intelligence tests pick up on. We're much less "practical" than our predecessors, but significantly more "intelligent." Furthermore, with modern technology, what one "good mind" thinks, the rest of us can share in as well. That provides more opportunities for more minds to develop to their fullest capabilities. Of course, the downside of being less practical is that we can't count, spell, write in cursive, read anything longer than a few pages, or fix our cars. Oh well, at least we can follow the plots of "24" and "Heroes."

http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/node/654