2 ms·
> Also, we can't distinguish between people who are just a bit smarter than us, and those who are a lot smarter than us. I don't think that's true at all. I ca
by Turing_Machine 3y ago
> Also, we can't distinguish between people who are just a bit smarter than us, and those who are a lot smarter than us.
I don't think that's true at all. I can easily distinguish between, say, my classmate who got (slightly) better test scores than I did in calculus class, and Isaac Newton, who invented calculus from scratch.
- denton-scratch 3y agoI meant a priori; judging the people you meet. Judging Newton by his posthumous reputation is different. I think if I met Newton, I'd have judged him a self-promoting bullshitter. He was ultra-paranoid, and wouldn't share his work. Even when he published, it was written like a modern patent - more to conceal than to reveal.
- Turing_Machine 3y ago> I think if I met Newton, I'd have judged him a self-promoting bullshitter. He was a thoroughly unpleasant man. However, even people who hated his guts (e.g., the Bernoullis) recognized him as a genius quite early on.