4 ms·

The highest IQ in US history belonged to a man that spent his life as a plumber by choice. According to several studies, the greatest predictor of early acad

The highest IQ in US history belonged to a man that spent his life as a plumber by choice. According to several studies, the greatest predictor of early academic advancement is the financial status of the parents. While scientific hubris and narcissism tend to quickly dominate competitive environments in colleges, the irrational pretense of a meritocracy quickly degenerates when you enter the faculty area. Note that most academically successful students will do well regardless of the curriculum or instructor, and the funding they bring in later makes anyone popular with staff. Perhaps you are asserting that “intellectual gifts” are justification for inflicting misery or undue burden on the general community? I speculate one could likely outrun a one-legged physicist or a one-legged golden retriever just as quickly… but not escape their own cognitive biases.

slothtrop 4y ago
> inflicting misery Is that what you suppose gifted programs do?
- Joel_Mckay 4y ago
  From one perspective, isolation or artificial peer group selection can lead to aberrant moral, social, and cognitive development. There is more to life than worksheets and exams.
  - slothtrop 4y ago
    There's no evidence that gifted programs are associated with those phenomenons. There is evidence that it helps students excel.
    - Joel_Mckay 4y ago
      While above normal intellect tends to bring a slight resilience to stress induced expression of latent psychological problems. It still doubles the probability that a latent disorder will develop if there is a generational precedent (roughly 20% of the general population). This is common 1st/2nd year developmental psychology and neurology material. Thus, I find it hard to believe anyone engaged in a pedagogical profession wouldn't already know this fact. Have a happy and glorious day.
      - slothtrop 4y ago
ars 4y ago
This: "the irrational pretense of a meritocracy" and this: "most academically successful students will do well regardless of the curriculum or instructor" Are contradictory - if the smarter students do well regardless, then it's not something in the school, home, or environment, that are making them do better. They are simply smarter, and that's not something you can create in other people.
- Joel_Mckay 4y ago
  You have omitted the temporal qualifier, then conflated academic and institutional career success. A paradox can be tricky... and makes our biases perceivable.

slothtrop 4y ago

> inflicting misery Is that what you suppose gifted programs do?

Joel_Mckay 4y ago
From one perspective, isolation or artificial peer group selection can lead to aberrant moral, social, and cognitive development. There is more to life than worksheets and exams.
- slothtrop 4y ago
  There's no evidence that gifted programs are associated with those phenomenons. There is evidence that it helps students excel.
  - Joel_Mckay 4y ago
    While above normal intellect tends to bring a slight resilience to stress induced expression of latent psychological problems. It still doubles the probability that a latent disorder will develop if there is a generational precedent (roughly 20% of the general population). This is common 1st/2nd year developmental psychology and neurology material. Thus, I find it hard to believe anyone engaged in a pedagogical profession wouldn't already know this fact. Have a happy and glorious day.
    - slothtrop 4y ago

ars 4y ago

This: "the irrational pretense of a meritocracy" and this: "most academically successful students will do well regardless of the curriculum or instructor" Are contradictory - if the smarter students do well regardless, then it's not something in the school, home, or environment, that are making them do better. They are simply smarter, and that's not something you can create in other people.

Joel_Mckay 4y ago
You have omitted the temporal qualifier, then conflated academic and institutional career success. A paradox can be tricky... and makes our biases perceivable.