> simple abstract languages like PHP are creating dumb programmers.

I don't consider PHP a particularly abstract language. Ignoring that though, do higher-level languages make a person more stupid, or free them from silly minutiae to consider even higher-level concepts? Listen to Lisp or Haskell programmers some time.

> Until they learn how to write an interpreter of their own, they will never truly understand programming.

Absolutely, but you know, the same could be said for assembly programmers too.