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If we assume that 1% of the human population are potential geniuses, then at the moment, we have about 80 million potential geniuses on the planet. They are not

If we assume that 1% of the human population are potential geniuses, then at the moment, we have about 80 million potential geniuses on the planet. They are not always aware that they have this potential. Life and financial circumstances follow a standard distribution. Not every potential genius on Earth will receive the required education and a nurturing environment. You can assume there are more potential geniuses in India and China (simply by the numbers), and they do not always have the perfect conditions to cultivate their abilities. So, if you look around and pick 100 people, there is a chance that one of them is a genius or potential genius. Some of these individuals may be plumbers. They might have interests that are completely different from what you might expect of a smart person. Also, if you consider the number of people working in a company, you can estimate how many potential geniuses are among them. Although high-tech companies may have a higher concentration of such individuals, you cannot deny the high probability that a Mexican immigrant working at Amazon in their warehouse, packing your goods, could be a potential genius. [1] https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#:~:text=8.1%20Billion%20(current),currently%20living)%20of%20the%20world https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#:~:text=8.1%....

atleastoptimal 3y ago
The higher your IQ the more likely you have the capabilities to remove yourself from bad circumstances. I'd wager it's very unlikely that if you reach adulthood and you're still working a minimum wage job, barring significant mental health issues or life circumstances, you secretly have a top 1% potential genius IQ. If you look at some of the greatest figures of the 20th century, many of them pulled themselves from complete squalor and destitution on their talent/brains alone. So even back then there were means via which disadvantaged smart people could assert agency over their circumstances. The poorest person with an internet access nowadays is far more empowered to take advantage of their prodigious intellect than anyone 30+ years ago.
- pk-protect-ai 3y ago
  There is an implicit bias in the assumption that high-IQ individuals should naturally seek high-profile or high-income jobs. Life is diverse... People who have the will to "pull themselves from complete squalor" do not necessarily need to be high IQ individuals. They need to be fighters. Though they will fail if they have an IQ bellow 85 (that what US Army already established). There is a correlation between IQ and income, but there is no correlation between wealth and income′. It may be an anecdotal oversimplification, but there are people with interests completely different from what you might find interesting in life, and there are recorded cases of individuals with high IQs working as bartenders. Some high-IQ individuals become criminals due to life circumstances. Some of them don't want to stand out and pursue whatever interests they have, while not caring about the things that most people find interesting. I personally know very intelligent person who are absolutely happy with stable and average jobs, which they consider routine and to which they devote little thought (and apparently time), while they dedicate their thoughts to the themes that interest them. They do this not for money or fame but simply because they find these themes peculiar. At the same time, you should not forget that IQ is a number that indicates only your ability to find and solve patterns and potentially be more successful the higher your IQ. However, this potential may not necessarily be realized. Moreover, this ability to solve patterns can be a trap; without discipline, you may tend to jump to conclusions based on very little evidence. My point is, there is a potential genius you can meet every day if you count 100 people walking past you. However, if you consider that "genius" level starts from an IQ of 140, then only 0.48% of the human population has this potential. So, you would need to count a little more than twice as many people walking past you. [1] https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/02/06/correlations-of-iq-with-income-and-wealth/ https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/02/06/correlation...
  - atleastoptimal 3y ago
    Of course not every high IQ individual works a high-income job. However if there's some excessively harmful part of one's life, a high IQ person would be more naturally empowered to escape it. Even if they end up in a low-wage job, it's more likely to be voluntary if they're very smart. Without their high IQ they'd be somewhere they'd prefer not to be without much means of escape as they can't develop any cognitive skills worth paying a premium for.

atleastoptimal 3y ago

The higher your IQ the more likely you have the capabilities to remove yourself from bad circumstances. I'd wager it's very unlikely that if you reach adulthood and you're still working a minimum wage job, barring significant mental health issues or life circumstances, you secretly have a top 1% potential genius IQ. If you look at some of the greatest figures of the 20th century, many of them pulled themselves from complete squalor and destitution on their talent/brains alone. So even back then there were means via which disadvantaged smart people could assert agency over their circumstances. The poorest person with an internet access nowadays is far more empowered to take advantage of their prodigious intellect than anyone 30+ years ago.

pk-protect-ai 3y ago
There is an implicit bias in the assumption that high-IQ individuals should naturally seek high-profile or high-income jobs. Life is diverse... People who have the will to "pull themselves from complete squalor" do not necessarily need to be high IQ individuals. They need to be fighters. Though they will fail if they have an IQ bellow 85 (that what US Army already established). There is a correlation between IQ and income, but there is no correlation between wealth and income′. It may be an anecdotal oversimplification, but there are people with interests completely different from what you might find interesting in life, and there are recorded cases of individuals with high IQs working as bartenders. Some high-IQ individuals become criminals due to life circumstances. Some of them don't want to stand out and pursue whatever interests they have, while not caring about the things that most people find interesting. I personally know very intelligent person who are absolutely happy with stable and average jobs, which they consider routine and to which they devote little thought (and apparently time), while they dedicate their thoughts to the themes that interest them. They do this not for money or fame but simply because they find these themes peculiar. At the same time, you should not forget that IQ is a number that indicates only your ability to find and solve patterns and potentially be more successful the higher your IQ. However, this potential may not necessarily be realized. Moreover, this ability to solve patterns can be a trap; without discipline, you may tend to jump to conclusions based on very little evidence. My point is, there is a potential genius you can meet every day if you count 100 people walking past you. However, if you consider that "genius" level starts from an IQ of 140, then only 0.48% of the human population has this potential. So, you would need to count a little more than twice as many people walking past you. [1] https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/02/06/correlations-of-iq-with-income-and-wealth/ https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2008/02/06/correlation...
- atleastoptimal 3y ago
  Of course not every high IQ individual works a high-income job. However if there's some excessively harmful part of one's life, a high IQ person would be more naturally empowered to escape it. Even if they end up in a low-wage job, it's more likely to be voluntary if they're very smart. Without their high IQ they'd be somewhere they'd prefer not to be without much means of escape as they can't develop any cognitive skills worth paying a premium for.