One of my favourite saying is <Insert name here> has the IQ of a fairly intelligent rock or an IQ normally associated with microscopic pond life. Fairly simple but indicates my feelings for the person. Now we all now that although we use IQ as a sign of intelligence it is actually not a very good indicator. Read this article on how IQs are misunderstood.
We have known for a long time that many people with high IQs are actually not very bright and lack common sense in many areas. Their brains may be geared up to working out things dispassionately and storing information but they don’t always process that information and come out with workable solutions. Many of the people I know who solve engineering problems have normal or slightly above normal IQs while I have seen college graduates with PHds struggle to actually understand what they have just witnessed yet they can workout Pi to 32 decimal places. How useful. That is why many firms with research arms have the big thinkers there to produce ideas and point to where they want to go and many others of lower IQs to make the ideas work.
However, although we know that IQs are not an absolute measure of someones intelligence they, coupled with other tests, certainly take us to the ballpark and you know that you want to be around people with IQs with three digits.
Remember though, half the people on the planet have IQs in two digits. They seem to be the ones with the biggest mouths, the ones who push and pull until they get heard and from the state of our societies they seem to be winning in the battle for getting their way.
What we really need to do is raise the average IQ of the planet. Education should be the way to do that but from what I can see over the last twenty odd years our IQ is actually going down. Perhaps that explains why so many socialist paradises are appearing. Now that I think about it maybe we need a war to reduce the number of these people. That should raise the average IQ and then we would want our freedoms back with few dissenters. Am I sensing a pattern here? Let’s get someone with a high IQ to look at the issue. Not too high though.
What we really need to do is raise the average IQ of the planet.
We could start by reversing the bollocks taught in schools and get back to learning properly. diet is another factor in intelligence. Plus keeping the brain busy.
James,
Can only agree. On the plus side low intelligence (IQ) is an indicator of violence. So these are the people that will free us from our government. How about that for irony.
The reason IQ is going down is very well illustrated in the opening sequence of the film Idiocracy. I also wonder if the testing is showing up the narrowing of study in schools and universities such that the end result will be people that know everything about nothing.
For those that haven’t seen the film the sequence is here http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2682654/idiocracy_opening_sequence/
Ivan,
Thank you for that. An excellent video and so bloody true.
The only part missing was the first couple saying they can’t afford a child due to taxes and the others saying that their social security payments needed to go up to cover more kids. That would put it all in the one place.
I’ll have to watch the film.
Lord T,
What you see is the American way – your additions would make it British.
I was given a copy on DVD a couple of years ago (because I like SF) and find it a little depressing because it is so true. The people that made it must have had the proverbial crystal ball.
Ivan,
Are you sure? I would have thought that Mr&Mrs tax payer in the US were paying for their version of chavs. (I think Chav translates to redneck in American)
The DVD is only from 2006. The crystal ball was fairly clear at that point I would have thought.