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Using IQ as the sole metric for intelligence is bogus though, in my opinion. Hard working "low IQ" slow learners beat mentally fragile or lazy "high IQ" quick l

by umvi 5y ago

Using IQ as the sole metric for intelligence is bogus though, in my opinion. Hard working "low IQ" slow learners beat mentally fragile or lazy "high IQ" quick learners 9 times out of 10 in my book. Low(er) IQ people can still master advanced sciences, it just takes them longer to do so. Standardized tests filter for the quickest learners who can think the fastest but they don't do as well filtering for mental fortitude or work ethic. Completely anecdotal, but it seems like a lot of the smartest people I've ever known ("high IQ") turned out to be mentally fragile (paralyzed with nihilism, depression, purposelessness). But most of the hardest workers I know who required a few extra years of work to master their fields ("low IQ") are extremely dependable and have high mental resilience by contrast. Of course, you can't beat hard working, high IQ people, but they are very rare in my experience, at least in the fields I've worked in.

fsckboy 5y ago
I didn't base what I wrote on my opinion or my personal experience, it's published peer reviewed science. The notion that many psychologists over many decades who have devoted their careers attempting together to understand/explain/theorize about the cleverness that sets us apart from the other apes would have somehow failed to stumble upon your insights seems fanciful.
- umvi 5y ago
  I always take social science studies with a huge grain of salt because they are highly susceptible to emotional and political bias, even with safeguards such as peer reviews. It sounds like you are upset that MIT doesn't do enough IQ-based gatekeeping, which is fine. I'm just saying IQ alone doesn't measure a person's work ethic, mental resilience, or even ability to master a topic, and that in my experience, I've noticed my Mensa obsessed friends have other shortcomings that are worth factoring into their profile - shortcomings that friends with lower IQs (but still smart) tend not to have.

by umvi 5y ago

fsckboy 5y ago

I didn't base what I wrote on my opinion or my personal experience, it's published peer reviewed science. The notion that many psychologists over many decades who have devoted their careers attempting together to understand/explain/theorize about the cleverness that sets us apart from the other apes would have somehow failed to stumble upon your insights seems fanciful.

umvi 5y ago
I always take social science studies with a huge grain of salt because they are highly susceptible to emotional and political bias, even with safeguards such as peer reviews. It sounds like you are upset that MIT doesn't do enough IQ-based gatekeeping, which is fine. I'm just saying IQ alone doesn't measure a person's work ethic, mental resilience, or even ability to master a topic, and that in my experience, I've noticed my Mensa obsessed friends have other shortcomings that are worth factoring into their profile - shortcomings that friends with lower IQs (but still smart) tend not to have.