Smarter - but for how long?

"We both have meritocracies. Yours (America) is a talent meritocracy. Ours (Singapore) is an exam meritocracy. There are some parts of the intellect that we are not able to test well - like creativity, curiosity, a sense of adventure, ambition. Most of all, America has a culture of learning that challenges conventional wisdom, even if it means challenging authority. These are the areas where Singapore must learn from America."
So spoke Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister of Education of Singapore, in this week's issue of Newsweek. He was pointing out why Singapore's children test better than Americans in math and science, but do worse in the real world, producing fewer inventors, entrepreneurs, and executives. Here, Americans have the edge.
Will this last?
Already we are teaching ourselves not to be curious, not to make waves, not to question. Church and government both expect their subjects to accept their word as fact, and to support their positions without question. Whether it is Intelligent Design or Intelligence without Oversite, we are told to forget what facts and reason tell us, and to rely on faith. Or else.
We have seen this before. Russia crippled itself with Lysenkoism and Five Year Plans; it now struggles to reclaim world power status.
The days of American manual labor are numbered. Foreign workers make things cheaper. Foreign programmers type cheaper.
What keeps Americans - what will keep Americans in the lead - are the qualities Tharman mentioned. Curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to challenge authority.
Lose that, and the U.S. becomes another Russia - a third rate nation with nukes, crooks, and thugs, lusting after lost glories, and endangering the world with schemes for power.