I don't think there will ever be a scientific method for measuring or ranking intelligence, and I understand that life circumstances play a huge role in being a

I don't think there will ever be a scientific method for measuring or ranking intelligence, and I understand that life circumstances play a huge role in being able to acquire the social markers of intelligence. Still, some people are clearly smarter than others. Saying "top 20%" is a reasonable shorthand for "decently above average," which I think is about as accurate as we can get outside of people like von Neumann who could recite novels that he had read years previously. (Note that I'm not saying something like "people who can't graduate high school are dumb." There are plenty of smart high school dropouts and plenty of dumb Ivy League graduates.) There are people around here who believe that their interest in computer science is one of the things that makes them smarter than other people, but that is not a belief I am defending. In fact, I believe that is a small minority of people here. Most of the posts I saw in this thread were criticizing the education system that leaves many people without an understanding of compound interest, not calling those people idiots. Most people are comfortable with the idea that some people are at the bottom of the intelligence heap. It is scientifically verifiable that some individuals are unable to remember new information or identify patterns. Why shouldn't this be true at the top of the heap as well? Based on my life experiences, I believe that my intelligence is significantly above average, although I realize that I have been aided by fortunate circumstances. However, I am not strongly invested in the idea: I am more interested in being happy, in being a disciplined worker, and in having strong relationships with people than I am in being a smart person. Why are you so invested in the idea that no one is smarter than anyone else?