Science a GoGo's Home Page Forums General Discussion Not-Quite-Science Forum IQ and Intelligence

"Okay. Let's have it your way. I say that there is a crater on the backside of the Moon and it is filled up with 75 Cadillac convertibles. That is the Truth. Jesus told me so. Now prove me wrong."

I could very easily prove you wrong by going to the moon and seeing, but since you are already there, could you spare me the trouble and just admit you were lying?

Rob,

Explain to me how you, personally can get to the moon.

When did you join NASA's space program?

But I can save you the trouble - I can corroborate TFF's assertion, because Jesus told me about the Cadillacs as well - and I thought I was the only one who knew.

Blacknad.

Stop picking out unimportant details.
I didn't mean I literally, I meant it as people in general...

You totally missed the point by the way?

Explain to me how you, personally can get to the moon.
REP: Going to the Moon isnt easy if you wish to carry the bagage of Desires.
For NASA has accomplished something very commendable but they also realise that collecting dust isnt the only challenge before them when Sand Dune is beyond Human Comprehension of Yes and No.

DKV,
It's hard to interpret what you are saying here...but I wonder when you say, "Going to the moon isn't easy if you wish to carry the bagage of desires".

I wonder are you talking about how difficult it is to keep an objective mind when searching for truth?

DKV: "Going to the Moon isnt easy if you wish to carry the baggage of Desires."

REP: DKV, you must realise that you are communicating with people who think in a Western Paradigm. We do not talk about scientific endeavour in terms of poetry and will simply not understand you if you continue to do so.

I find it very frustrating to read anything you post. The problem is that you use poetic language, which is fine for literature, but is way too obscure for conversations where you are trying to explore and reach conclusions. You can only communicate about such things by defining terms as precisely as you can. That is the beauty of language. The versatility of language is such that in its poetic form it can evoke a variety of feelings, meanings etc. from a few words strung together. But that is good only for poetry and literature. Dreamspeak is no good for reality.

Justine can make sense of what you say only because it is so very obscure. If I really wanted to, I could read things into it - as I can with the writings of Nostradamus. But its like art - sometimes its about what the viewer sees and not what the artist meant.

If you wish to engage with us and for people to engage with you, you must communicate in a more precise manner.

If not then we will continue to read all sorts of madness into your words - while Justine will see profound answers to life's great questions, and others will maybe just enjoy your poetry.

Regards,

Blacknad.

Dear DoctorSarah,

Assuming that your data (effect of cannabis on intelligence) has been peer reviewed, could you send me a link for it so that I might read the publication (I cannot find it on Pubmed?).

Just as a side note - perhaps you should talk to someone about the fact that you need to massage your ego on a public forum. I am a little embarrassed for you - and I am definately not the same breed as anyone in M*NSA - I let my work rather than my education or IQ (what ever that is?) do the talking

All the best

Charlie Farley
(Neuroendocrinology)

Blacknad wrote about dvk:
"The problem is that you use poetic language, which is fine for literature, but is way too obscure for conversations where you are trying to explore and reach conclusions."

You think his nonsense poetry? I think it a lack of cognitive ability.

But if poetry it is it reminds me of a great Robert Heinlein quote:

"A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits."

For more Heinlein:
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein

Hey, I didn't say it was good poetry, it just makes better poetry than it does science.

Blacknad.

And it makes a still better study of psychosis.

He's no poet and what you've read is not literary license. It is a cry in the dark for someone with a medical license.

There is an interesting link about a machine that solves IQ Test, it does it quite well!
Have a look:
www.theiqchallenge.com

Nice site. Though some of these, perhaps all, are being solved by brute force ... which is not the same as IQ.

It doesn't seem to be brute force, have a look to their company's website:

www.kitbit.com

It's an AI company.
Cool...

I did. But solving math expansions ...

1, 2, 4, 8, 16 ...

that is essentially brute force. Keep trying numbers and calculations until one fits.

Keep in mind the computer they have behind this site is not better than Deep Blue. It is not thinking.

And the fact that it asks you for an answer to your problem when it cannot solve it only shows that it is building a database of possible answers, not working on some universally applied logical reasoning concepts.

I think that made sense...?

I've seen too many lives wasted by pot smokers to dream about endorsing it. It seems to restrain ambition, an integral ingredient for a successful life.

I don't get caught up with IQ's, intellect is a resource, it's what you do with it that counts most. Having a brain IS a definite advantage. I've been in Mensa Canada and Isolated Mensa, but have let my membership lapse. For what it's worth, my own IQ is 141. A brain can also be somewhat of a disadvantage - nobody wants to watch "Jeopardy" with me.

Einstein said that education is what you have left when you forget everything you learned in school. Wasn't he a drop-out? There are some Charts and there are some statistics, but there are more of us than there are of them. I believe pigeon holes are for pigeons!

Wolfman, I love "Jeopardy"! I would gladly watch it with you.
About IQ and Intelligence, I think IQ tests are useless and inaccurate ways to measure a person's intelligence. I also think they are cruel and create a disturbing sense of superiority and inferiority in individuals with high and low IQ test scores, respectively. I fear society might one day end up like in the movie Gattaca (where people with the highest IQ's and superior genes are the elite ruling class).
I also think intelligence is relative and I think this quote really conveys my point:
"If the Aborigine were to craft an IQ test, presumably most of the Western world would fail it".
(Sorry I don't know the author, but it's a great quote.)
Thanks for reading.

Mysteron, I'm serious about the "Jeopardy" comment. Countless times, I've had guests over and, as soon as they see Alex Trebek, they've gotta go!

Here's a little "Jeopardy" story from July, 2004 - An Engineer colleague and I were on a remote Island Group (I live in American Samoa) to do some Building Evaluations. We were staying at the only accomodations on the island, a B&B kind of thing. The only other guests were a pair of Marine Biologists who were doing a study of the Coral Reefs there. One had a Phd, the other was a Phd candidate. My Engineer partner has a Masters. The TV up there only receives one signal, a station that carries Jeopardy - a captive audience. It was great. I nailed around 90% of the Q's, including all three Bonus Q's and "Final Jeopardy", about average. The others got 5 between them.

As a much younger man, back in 1971, I spent some time at the Yirakalla Aboriginal Reserve in the Northern Territory of Australia. Let me tell you, I, for one, couldn't pass an Aboriginal IQ Test.

My two grown children were also Mensa members. Their experience was very similar to mine - other M's you meet at "Socials" are nice, smart certainly, but overall, pretty boring. They've led interesting lives; for example, when they were 13 1nd 15 respectively, I took them on a three month Mountain Bike Trip down the Yucatan Peninsula. The kids have also let their meberships lapse - too smart to shell out $40/year for a Newsletter.

Intelligence is not one thing.

Anytime you disagree consider the chance that Newton could have writen a Bach sonata.

It is very obvious looking at what is posted here at SAGG that a lot of people just are mentally incapable of understanding scientific concepts and the scientific method: They JUST DON'T GET IT.

It is much like in computer sci. where I teach. There are people that, try as they might, can not get Boolean logic. And yet they may be brilliant in their current careers.