Do people become wiser or more foolish as they grow older?

In 2007 Hank wondered whether people grow stupider with age; by 2012 he valued his deeper understanding, and at 41 in 2022 he said middle age had made things less clear. At 40 in 2018 John saw middle age as a time to resist grand pronouncements and to be suspicious of those claiming to be wise.

Axis: age brings wisdom ... people get stupider (less open, less silly) with age

Positions by date: 6 records in 6 videos. The position was refined (2018, 2022), never reversed, in these records.

John

date	how	position	video
2018-05-08	first on record	John says the urge to make grand pronouncements about what's good for other people is probably a developmentally appropriate symptom of middle age, but one worth fighting against.	Old Man Yells at Cloud 00:03:18
2018-06-26	restate	At 40, John finds a benefit of middle age is being suspicious of, rather than compelled by, those claiming to be the wise older fish.	How's the Water? 00:02:21

Hank

date	how	position	video
2007-03-20	first on record	Hank seriously considers that people get stupider with age, avoiding fun and new experiences, against the view that age brings wisdom and youth is stupid.	March 20th: Dancing and the Idiocy of Age 00:01:42
2012-04-20	restate	Hank says he would not go back to being younger because he now has a much deeper and more thoughtful understanding of the world; earlier he says silliness is not excluded by adulthood.	Thoughts on Growing up 00:02:06
2018-02-23	refine	Hank says this is not an indictment of getting older but a recognition that different life stages serve different roles in culture.	Dear Young People, You Terrify Me 00:03:45
2022-04-01	refine	At 41 in 2022, Hank says, middle age has not brought the clarity he expected; if anything things have grown less clear as he got older.	I Don't Have a Good Title for This Video. 00:01:18

Background

date	how	position	video
2023-06-16	background	Hank's reasoning: the one person he is objectively smarter than is himself four years ago, who knew less and had fewer experiences, and who does not exist. (playful)	So, About This HAIR… 00:00:00