4 ms·

IMO it's funny they've correlated 'genius' with some holistic positive-energy regimen. I know a few people I'd consider geniuses. Actual credentialed geniuses,

by pram 5y ago

IMO it's funny they've correlated 'genius' with some holistic positive-energy regimen. I know a few people I'd consider geniuses. Actual credentialed geniuses, as in Physics PhD from an ivy. They're pretty much perpetually in a shitty mood and have the most antisocial, night-time oriented schedules possible.

mirekrusin 5y ago
I don’t think they say you have to be party goer? Sleep may be compensated by daytime naps, ie recently I learned Ronaldo naps daytime in his daily schedule which was interesting to me, he won’t get Nobel price for what he loves but still he tops at his hobby.
bjornsing 5y ago
> Physics PhD from an ivy If that’s your definition of genius you have to raise your standards. ”The world is filled with educated fools and uneducated genuises.” – Richard Feynman
- bicknergseng 5y ago
  - Richard Feynman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (S.B. 1939), Princeton University (Ph.D. 1942) Agreed that credentials aren't required for a pass to the genius club, but I didn't read that in the post above either.
  - xmprt 5y ago
    A Ph.D. is something that anyone can do with a bit of patience and effort. Does that mean we should shift the bar so it means professors are geniuses? No. I don't think any arbitrary qualifications make you a genius.
    - in3d 5y ago
      I think that depends on the field and on your definition of “anyone.” I’d bet against an average 100 spatial/math IQ person being able to get a PhD in math or physics, even if hardworking and patient. They would probably be something like 2.5 standard deviations below average and while IQ is not the end-all and be-all, such a vast gap would make it extremely hard for them.
    - bjornsing 5y ago
      I think the bar should go much higher, somewhere around Feynman. And remember that’s low according to Feynman’s own standards: he didn’t see himself as a genius.
- bakuninsbart 5y ago
  I didn't study at any such high-profile universities, and my initial touching points with graduates from top universities did not exactly lead me to believe they were anything special, apart from their parents wealth. Most of them had an MA or even PHD that was paid for in high tuition fees. They did not feel anymore intelligent or educated than the average person I meet, and they did not do anything particularly interesting. Then later I had the pleasure of spending some time with true outliers, who usually also studied at top universities. Some of them would be obsessed with their field of study, and seriously work 80 hours a week on papers and projects. Some of them seem like completely normal people, with social lives and hobbies, and then you see the work they do and are just blown away at the genius they put in there somehow. And then there are the behemoths; you can throw any topic at them, and they will say something interesting. There are few things more mindboggling and intimidating than introducing someone to a topic you are intimately familiar with, and they basically immediately answer one of your open questions, while asking a much more interesting and deep question regarding the topic. You can find geniuses anywhere, but in my limited experience, there's a much higher density of these kinds of people at these places. But, because of how the top universities are structured, the inverse isn't true: Going to a top university does not make you better.
OneLeggedCat 5y ago
First line in the article: "A majority of people carry the potential to become a genius." I mean, how can the rest of this thing even be taken seriously?
- zepto 5y ago
  He’s obviously wrong, but surely that would apply to anything which embeds the assumption of the blank slate, I.e. almost all modern humanities, and half of social science.
- jodrellblank 5y ago
  "Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something." - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html He has a masters degree in molecular biology, another in computer science, a doctoral degree, and has spent 39 years working on learning and cognition, has been one of the main promoters of spaced repetition learning. Surely he deserves more than an "I mean, lol, right guys" dismissal?
  - OneLeggedCat 5y ago
    We are all above average.
migglesworth 5y ago
yeah i hear you. fuck it ive make 8 figures and money has made me miserable as fuck. there is SOME wisdom in this list.

by pram 5y ago

mirekrusin 5y ago

I don’t think they say you have to be party goer? Sleep may be compensated by daytime naps, ie recently I learned Ronaldo naps daytime in his daily schedule which was interesting to me, he won’t get Nobel price for what he loves but still he tops at his hobby.

bjornsing 5y ago

> Physics PhD from an ivy If that’s your definition of genius you have to raise your standards. ”The world is filled with educated fools and uneducated genuises.” – Richard Feynman

bicknergseng 5y ago
- Richard Feynman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (S.B. 1939), Princeton University (Ph.D. 1942) Agreed that credentials aren't required for a pass to the genius club, but I didn't read that in the post above either.
- xmprt 5y ago
  A Ph.D. is something that anyone can do with a bit of patience and effort. Does that mean we should shift the bar so it means professors are geniuses? No. I don't think any arbitrary qualifications make you a genius.
  - in3d 5y ago
    I think that depends on the field and on your definition of “anyone.” I’d bet against an average 100 spatial/math IQ person being able to get a PhD in math or physics, even if hardworking and patient. They would probably be something like 2.5 standard deviations below average and while IQ is not the end-all and be-all, such a vast gap would make it extremely hard for them.
  - bjornsing 5y ago
    I think the bar should go much higher, somewhere around Feynman. And remember that’s low according to Feynman’s own standards: he didn’t see himself as a genius.
bakuninsbart 5y ago
I didn't study at any such high-profile universities, and my initial touching points with graduates from top universities did not exactly lead me to believe they were anything special, apart from their parents wealth. Most of them had an MA or even PHD that was paid for in high tuition fees. They did not feel anymore intelligent or educated than the average person I meet, and they did not do anything particularly interesting. Then later I had the pleasure of spending some time with true outliers, who usually also studied at top universities. Some of them would be obsessed with their field of study, and seriously work 80 hours a week on papers and projects. Some of them seem like completely normal people, with social lives and hobbies, and then you see the work they do and are just blown away at the genius they put in there somehow. And then there are the behemoths; you can throw any topic at them, and they will say something interesting. There are few things more mindboggling and intimidating than introducing someone to a topic you are intimately familiar with, and they basically immediately answer one of your open questions, while asking a much more interesting and deep question regarding the topic. You can find geniuses anywhere, but in my limited experience, there's a much higher density of these kinds of people at these places. But, because of how the top universities are structured, the inverse isn't true: Going to a top university does not make you better.

OneLeggedCat 5y ago

First line in the article: "A majority of people carry the potential to become a genius." I mean, how can the rest of this thing even be taken seriously?

zepto 5y ago
He’s obviously wrong, but surely that would apply to anything which embeds the assumption of the blank slate, I.e. almost all modern humanities, and half of social science.
jodrellblank 5y ago
"Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something." - https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html He has a masters degree in molecular biology, another in computer science, a doctoral degree, and has spent 39 years working on learning and cognition, has been one of the main promoters of spaced repetition learning. Surely he deserves more than an "I mean, lol, right guys" dismissal?
- OneLeggedCat 5y ago
  We are all above average.

migglesworth 5y ago

yeah i hear you. fuck it ive make 8 figures and money has made me miserable as fuck. there is SOME wisdom in this list.