What If Humans Were Twice as Intelligent?

[another bob]

Greetings, Friends!

Interesting article you may find thought-provoking.

(Note the last paragraph -- ring any bells?)


What If Humans Were Twice as Intelligent?

by Natalie Wolchover, Life's Little Mysteries

You might someday be much, much smarter than you are now. That's the hope of neuroscientists focused on understanding the basis of intelligence. They have discovered that the brains of people with high IQs tend to be highly integrated, with neural paths connecting distant brain regions, while less intelligent people's brains build simpler, shorter routes. But no one knows why some brains construct much longer-range connections than others.

"When the brain mechanisms that underlie intelligence are understood, it is theoretically possible that those mechanisms can be tweaked to increase IQ," said Richard Haier, a neuroscientist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine, who studies intelligence. For the first time in human history, he said, "the concept that intelligence can be increased is reasonable."

It's a titillating thought but, considering the aphorism "ignorance is bliss," one might wonder: Would it really be better to be brainier? What would life and society be like if we all suddenly became, say, twice as intelligent?

For simplicity, imagine that instead of our current mean IQ score of 100, humans had an average score of 200. (Experts say this isn't a true "doubling" of intelligence because the IQ scale doesn't start at zero and, furthermore, the test isn't actually designed to yield a score as high as 200 — but we will set aside these qualifications for the purpose of argument.) According to Earl Hunt, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Washington and president of the International Society for Intelligence Research, approximately one person in 10 billion would have an IQ of 200. With a current world population of 7 billion, there may or may not be one such person alive today and, in any case, his or her identity is unknown. However, the 17th-century genius Isaac Newton, discoverer of gravity, calculus and more, is sometimes estimated to have had an IQ of 200 (though he never took an IQ test). So, using him as an archetype, what if we were all a bunch of Newtons? Would the world be much more advanced than it is today?

Self-actualization

Haier believes greater intelligence, which he defines as the ability to learn faster and remember more, would be highly advantageous on an individual scale. "Experiencing the world with a higher IQ might be more interesting for most people. They might enjoy reading more, might have a greater depth of appreciation for certain things and more insight into life," he told Life's Little Mysteries.

Furthermore, IQs of 200 would allow us to pursue activities and careers that most interest us, not just those we're mentally capable of, Haier said. We could master new languages in a few weeks, for example, or become brain surgeons.

Smarter humans would also be healthier and longer-living, the scientists said, because they'd have a better grasp of what behavior leads to these attributes. "Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and even more, managing a chronic illness such as diabetes, can be quite cognitively challenging. That's the sort of challenge intelligent people can meet… by definition," Hunt wrote in an email.

Social skills

Society would not benefit quite as much as individuals from a mass intelligence boost. Although people like to blame social problems on human ignorance and stupidity the scientists say removing these factors would not lead to the emergence of a harmonious Utopia. Greater intelligence does not come hand-in-hand with a greater ability to cooperate.

"Intelligence is independent of personality and emotion, so you can have very intelligent people who are also just kind of crazy people," Haier said. "Even if everyone had an IQ of 200, you'd have exactly the same range of personalities as you have now, and because that's a determining factor in how good your society is, you won't necessarily have a better society." Again, consider Isaac Newton: along with his off-the-charts smarts, he was also a notorious misanthrope.

While petty crime rates would fall in a society of Newtons, Hunt speculated that white-collar crimes, such as banking scams and cover-ups by pharmaceutical companies, might increase and even grow more sophisticated. On the other hand, so would crime-fighting. "The evil corporate villains would be smarter than ever, but so would the government officials who were writing and enforcing the safety regulations! Who would win? Who knows?" he wrote.

Despite these issues, there's a very good chance that higher-functioning brains would help us invent technologies to fix some of our bigger problems. Haier explained that just as a team of 100 engineers is more likely to come up with a remarkable innovation than a team of 10 engineers (because there's more total brainpower working on the job), having 7 billion "geniuses" on Earth would likely lead to solutions to some currently intractable issues. We might figure out a hyper-efficient way to desalinate saltwater, for example, or tap into a limitless alternative-energy source.

Because both those advances would produce a greater abundance of resources, they would likely minimize societal conflict — despite some humans being just as nasty as ever.

Loss of faith

According to Hunt, there's evidence to suggest that many humans, if significantly smarter, would lose their belief in God. "There is a small tendency for people with high scores to be more liberal in their social attitudes and less likely to accept strong religious beliefs. This makes sense; we can know things by reasoning or we can accept something on faith. If we all became very good reasoners, there would probably be a small shift to preferring reasoned over faith-based explanations of the phenomenon of life," he wrote.

Some people would undoubtedly continue to accept faith-based cosmologies, however, as there have been many examples in history of highly intelligent and religious people, Hunt noted.

Looking smart

Confounding the stereotype of the nerdy brainiac with suspenders and thick glasses, Hunt mentioned one other change that would be expected to occur if we all became smarter. "People would be better looking!" he wrote. A study from Harvard University found a significant correlation between peoples' test scores and how physically attractive other people rate them to be, he explained, and extrapolating the finding up to people with IQs of 200 implies that, in our world of super geniuses, an "average-looking person" would move up to the top 15th percentile on our current scale of looks.

Even if the extrapolation isn't quite accurate — if the correlation between intelligence and attractiveness breaks down past a certain range —humanity might at least be better at things like exercising and grooming. "I think what would happen is that there would be fewer homely-looking people; especially people who are unattractive because they are slovenly," he explained. "Intelligent people are aware that looking badly is a handicap in getting jobs, being invited to parties, etc."

One final thought: Even when scientists finally do discover the mechanism for ramping up intelligence, it is highly improbable that everyone would be given an immediate IQ boost. The "haves" would surely benefit from the neuroscience research more than the "have-nots," and this invites a further line of inquiry. As Hunt put it, "Suppose that in some future society, part of the population, say 10 percent, became hugely intelligent, while the rest stayed where we are now or even dropped behind a bit. What would that do to society?"

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/2066-humans-intelligent.html


:yo:

[alienHunter]

Hi Another Bob,

This is just a nit really, but I've read estimates of Newton's I.Q. as low as 160. I pretty much refuse to believe that one of the greatest scientists of the past millenium didn't have an I.Q. at least in the neighborhood of 200. The social challenges for the profoundly gifted are well...profound.

[wolf_rt]

the IQ test if a pretty poor gauge of intelligence in my opinion, personally i was able yo 'boost my IQ' by over 20 points, just by 'practising' a few times.


consider Isaac Newton: along with his off-the-charts smarts, he was also a notorious misanthrope.

Lol... it could be argued that this was because of his intelligence.

[grapevine]

Twice as intelligent would also mean twice as everything imo - all the negatives as well as the positives. It would be great if there could be a filter, although of course if it was possible to choose what traits to filter, there'd still be the same amount of negatives and positives - probably :)

[joedjemal]

I max out iq tests but it's not much fun. You just see the world a bit more clearly and find it hard to find people who get what you're saying. There's usually a price too, most people with very high iqs tend to find social situations hard to deal with. I can mimic social behaviour but i don't enjoy it. There's nothing that special about it though, yes a high iq person learns faster but a bright arsehole is still an arsehole. Your heart's more important.

[Billy]

Twice as Intelligent to me would mean twice as dangerous unless the intelligence was heart centred.

[Mike Gorman]

The funny thing about 'IQ' is that people seem to swallow the idea that such an intangible set of concepts and abstract
skills can all be 'measured' in a neat little test and given some kind of score. I recall doing some pretty intense research on the entire
history of intelligence testing, and it was quite an 'eye-opener'. If you follow the idea that the powers that be (were) have some sneaky mechanisms
to promote their paradigms, then what better than the Education system, and IQ 'testing' to sort out the useful, from the difficult types?
The Eugenics movement had a lot to do with intelligence quotient equations, the rationalist schools of psychology (Rats 'n Stats). We as questioning people should not be
so accepting of this IQ mythology. People like Isaac Newton would be highly skeptical of the whole deal-with very good reason.

[alienHunter]

GalaxyHorse,

all true...

[BlueGem]

As well as trying to define intelligence into a set of abstract questions, there are supposedly several areas of intelligence left out. Such as, how people can fit into their environment; how they relate to other people; how they handle their emotions; how they learn new things (reading, practical, visual etc.). None of these seem to be taken into account.

Plus, look at the Animal kingdom. If you were to put one of those tests in front of a dolphin, they would get zero. But we know they are very intelligent creatures. I know this argument is a little childish, but i'm just trying to get a point across. When I once heard someone remark that the average intelligence of a dog to be 40 approx. I asked how it was so. One fumbled answer later left me as clueless as before.

I agree the standard IQ test ties in with our particular brand of education system, and therefore somewhat redundant.

[FutureHumanDestiny]

If humans were twice as intelligent they would be twice as malicious and half as kind.

[another bob]

One final thought: Even when scientists finally do discover the mechanism for ramping up intelligence, it is highly improbable that everyone would be given an immediate IQ boost. The "haves" would surely benefit from the neuroscience research more than the "have-nots," and this invites a further line of inquiry. As Hunt put it, "Suppose that in some future society, part of the population, say 10 percent, became hugely intelligent, while the rest stayed where we are now or even dropped behind a bit. What would that do to society?"

Greetings, Friends!

Thank you all for your comments! I'm wondering if anybody remembers the Sean Connery movie "Zardoz", which I took to be an early film metaphor for the Illuminati program. The paragraph above hints at just such a development, imo -- an intellectually advanced elite ruling over a dumbed down populace.

:yo:

[alienHunter]

Yeah, it was 10 years before I knew what the hell the movie was about. For the longest time I kept thinking it was just a cool tribute to the Wizard of Oz.

[mojo]

If you follow David Sereda's research he mentions that the sun is emitting a new element since 2006 that is causing DNA activation and making children more intelligent.

[Carmody]

there are hundreds of people alive today with IQ's in the 200 range.

For example, the gentleman who looked at one of my 'products' and attempted to decipher it's fundamentals with respect to the physics.. he did not manage to get there...in the immediate sense.

This man has a registered and tested IQ of 196. He works as a 'maximum level' problem solver for a $XXB high technology corporation.

I would have to explain to him exactly how my products work. Ie, what it means on the baseline physics level of functionality. Then I would probably have to explain to him the fundamentals of wave-particle science as I know them.... for his current understandings are failing him.

That does not mean that my skillset is beyond his, though. We all have areas where our knowledge is a bit weak.

What I'm trying to say is that newton with the IQ of 200 is not such a big deal. The proper application of mediation, eating and exercise can and will increase the neural connectivity of the given person...IF they are determined enough..and thus their intelligence can and will increase proportionally.

The other way to do it..is to do what some people have said about what the 'elite' do to their children.

Trauma. Applied Trauma. The earlier in life that it is applied, the better.

This causes the mind to branch off and grow at the earliest stages possible.

The problem is then likely to be...highly intelligent...but...twisted people. Ouch.

[Carmody]

I max out iq tests but it's not much fun. You just see the world a bit more clearly and find it hard to find people who get what you're saying. There's usually a price too, most people with very high iqs tend to find social situations hard to deal with. I can mimic social behavior but i don't enjoy it. There's nothing that special about it though, yes a high iq person learns faster but a bright arsehole is still an arsehole. Your heart's more important.


I know exactly what you mean.

[Carmody]

Self hypnosis can be used to slowly remove the veil within, if you desire to do so. this is my point bout meditation, food, and exercise.

If one does that, their IQ score would likely increase by, oh...30-60%, on average. As a minimum, I'm suspecting.

Dissolve the ego and you can have that intellect ...which is blocked off. If the ego is still the ascendant in the given person, then they are blocked from the true depths of their own intelligence.

Emotions and ego do indeed cloud things by that much.

[Curt]

Carmody, when you say ego, what specifically do you mean? I ask this in all sincerity, knowing full well that it may be seen as a foolish question.

I must admit, I actually have no clue what the ego is--apart from a very narrow Freudian understanding of the term.

Is ego a false boundary? An unnecessary limitation of the self? Is it separate from a healthy, if still illusory boundary separating 'I/Me' from others?

The idea of dissolving these boundaries is scary when I'm being totally honest--but that may be in part because I am conflating ego with a core 'self.' (And I don't want whatever my core essence is... to dissolve.)

When the Ego is gone, what fills its place? What maintains the boundaries of self?

Thanks.

Self hypnosis can be used to slowly remove the veil within, if you desire to do so. this is my point bout meditation, food, and exercise.

If one does that, their IQ score would likely increase by, oh...30-60%, on average. As a minimum, I'm suspecting.

Dissolve the ego and you can have that intellect ...which is blocked off. If the ego is still the ascendant in the given person, then they are blocked from the true depths of their own intelligence.

Emotions and ego do indeed cloud things by that much.

[sygh]

the IQ test if a pretty poor gauge of intelligence in my opinion, personally i was able yo 'boost my IQ' by over 20 points, just by 'practising' a few times.


consider Isaac Newton: along with his off-the-charts smarts, he was also a notorious misanthrope.

Lol... it could be argued that this was because of his intelligence.

Newton didn't/doesn't have a corner on that. Many people feel that way. I had a total mental breakdown, when I found out what people could be, and were like to other people, to their environment, to all life on the planet, and to themselves. Found it very hard to communicate with others for several years after that. I had to force myself to overcome the feeling of mistrust and often times -out and out discust.

It had/ and sometimes still has, everything to do with absolutely wasting the chance God gives us to be something better then what we are. I couldn't even trust myself, you see. Misanthropy is a part of the human conundrum. IMO misanthropy = blind inertia. Inteligent people are still human, aren't they.

[solosthere]

I have to say i think that if all people had an IQ at this type of level there are several things that I think would happen. 1 obviously there would be an explosion of new technologies in the world. 2 most people that I know who have a vedry high IQ realize that even though they can not prove something that does not mean it is not true. They may try to find a way to prove it. But then I know that what I "KNOW" is true does not have to be proven. 3 there would ave to be a new way of teaching. We know in our own society that if a person is highly intelligent and is placed with people of average IQ level. That person simple gets bored with everthing and in turn finds something that will not bore them. I will not say my personal IQ. I will say that growing up I was a "gifted child" here in the US. I was so bored with school that I just stopped participating in school and would teach myself instead. In school I never went, studied, or did homework. However I still graduated from high school with honors. I see that the children today are on this same path and the system must learn how to work with these children on thier level. The way children with high IQ are taught today does not work. The solution that the system has come up with is to drug these children to slow them down. My school wanted to drug me and asked permission from my parents who replied with a profound "NO!!!". This is what parents need to do today. DO NOT drug your kids because you or the system can not keep up with them!!!!!!!

[Godiam]

I'd rather have wisdom, than intelligence!!

Like joedjemal said, "A Smart Arsehole, is still an Arsehole"

Love that one......Act with WISDOM...... Intelligence will follow!

HUGS.......Godiam

[joedjemal]

If humans were twice as intelligent they would be twice as malicious and half as kind.

Now this is simply not true. Your intelligence has nothing to do with how compassionate you are. You're mistaking bright people for sociopaths. Different thing altogether although psychopaths are known to have slightly above average intelligence.

[Amaterasu]

Speaking of the last paragraph...

All We have to do to be rid of the "haves" and the "have-nots" is to add free energy, and robots to do the necessary jobs no One wants to do.

Money is merely an accounting of meaningful energy expended in an energy-scarce society - the condition Humans have lived in for all Our recorded history. Add abundant free energy and once the cost of energy is removed all down the line, what is left is free.

(One can grasp this most easily by considering the first hunter, fisherperson, gatherer, farmer, miner. The stuff They gained/used was free: critters, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seed, sun, soil, rain, ores. It was the meaningful energy expended that gave "value" to the stuff: the killing, fishing, picking, tilling, weeding, harvesting, mining, transporting.)

Anyway, when I can start threads I will go into more about this. Meanwhile any who would like to see one piece I have written relative to a code for Humanity if We can add these, please read here: http://www.openlounge.org/forum/freedom-forum/the-ethical-planetarian-party-platform/#p629

[alienHunter]

Hi Amaterasu,

good point...measurement of personal energy expenditure as the basis for income...the next wave... ;)

[Amaterasu]

"Income" without money (in all its forms: barter, trade, work exchange, coin, bills, electronic funds...) will be in the form of appreciation, lauds, status, and Self-satisfaction. With abundant energy and no need for money, things will be available for free - order on the Interweb and a robot will deliver it.

[grapevine]

there are hundreds of people alive today with IQ's in the 200 range.

For example, the gentleman who looked at one of my 'products' and attempted to decipher it's fundamentals with respect to the physics.. he did not manage to get there...in the immediate sense.

This man has a registered and tested IQ of 196. He works as a 'maximum level' problem solver for a $XXB high technology corporation.

I would have to explain to him exactly how my products work. Ie, what it means on the baseline physics level of functionality. Then I would probably have to explain to him the fundamentals of wave-particle science as I know them.... for his current understandings are failing him.

That does not mean that my skillset is beyond his, though. We all have areas where our knowledge is a bit weak.

What I'm trying to say is that newton with the IQ of 200 is not such a big deal. The proper application of mediation, eating and exercise can and will increase the neural connectivity of the given person...IF they are determined enough..and thus their intelligence can and will increase proportionally.

The other way to do it..is to do what some people have said about what the 'elite' do to their children.

Trauma. Applied Trauma. The earlier in life that it is applied, the better.

This causes the mind to branch off and grow at the earliest stages possible.

The problem is then likely to be...highly intelligent...but...twisted people. Ouch.

Carmody: Does this only work with young people? I wouldn't mind the trauma now if the rewards were that I had a better (higher) intellect . . . .

[TargeT]

Carmody: Does this only work with young people? I wouldn't mind the trauma now if the rewards were that I had a better (higher) intellect . . . .

breaking down the ego, the PRE FILTER on reality... should be do-able by anyone, I've slightly tryed to persue Carmody on methods for doing this but havn't gotten a clear answer yet,, perhaps more (like this) effort is needed ;)

[Carmody]

I'd rather have wisdom, than intelligence!!

Like joedjemal said, "A Smart Arsehole, is still an Arsehole"

Love that one......Act with WISDOM...... Intelligence will follow!

HUGS.......Godiam

Smart arsehole...sort of. In the case of such a being, more like animal cunning used instead of humane thinking.

Cunning is what people use when they are of low empathy, one could say. (as in: expand the definition of 'cunning')

As for breaking down the ego, or sublimation of the ego, that is a tricky thing to be doing and it requires the utmost dedication and effort. it is messy at best.

But don't let that little comment slow you down.

Think about it every day, think about it all the time. Try to imagine what the ego is, find the corners of it's face in your mind. Start the process of picking away at it, or however one may want to phrase it.

To begin, try to live in consciousness of the ego as the mask that it is. Learn the process of becoming aware. To be aware of the self as a reflection at all times. and so on. Dedication, reading, effort, etc. How much? As much as you are, effort wise. No free rides here, no easy solution.

[pugwash84]

If humans were twice as intelligent, there would be a human somewhere wondering......what if humans was twice as intelligent as that. Humans are never happy with what they have, they always want more. That is why the human race has survived through the years......never happy. It is also what will kill the human race. Funny old world.

[Plotus]

I think we stand on the threshold right now. How many here are physicists? I would guess just a very few. Perhaps the question should be ...how many here are interested in Physics? Quantum mechanics specifically?
There are two individuals that come to mind as we speak who seemingly have the gift of genius, a Nassim Haramein and Marko Rodin. Both have broken through the barrier of language and made what might have been intellectual aristocracy, more homegrown and down to earth. Explaining the most complex of knowledge into language easily understood. Most of those who listen to either are profoundly enlightened and have expressed the ease at which this was possible. I think it comes from the specific way humans are exposed to and taught, a self limiting foundation. I believe the students are apt, but are the teachers up to task. Not diminishing anything from teachers efforts, but a breakthrough in the design of learning might be on the horizon which evolve learning up another level. It would be no more thought of as different than any other epoch in history, just a different method. Exclusion by complexity need not be the limiting factor in the future of our children.

So I believe the ability exists, and the method will arrive in the very near future. One day the intelligent will outnumber the ignorant, and in their compassion, will endeavor to include those able to take the leap.

[Mad Hatter]

As Hunt put it, "Suppose that in some future society, part of the population, say 10 percent, became hugely intelligent, while the rest stayed where we are now or even dropped behind a bit.

Half a chromosome past a chimpanzee and look at the trouble we are in... double up?
Why not, can only make things more interesting.


What would that do to society?"

Well sherlock er I mean Hunt, take a look around you, or is your IQ so dazzlingly high your blinded by its reflection off the ivory in the silo you must exist in preventing you from seeing what has already occurred...double up?

Why not, we surely need more shiny ivory towers..

meh

[bogeyman]

They would mess up the world twice over.

[bluestflame]

there'd be twice as much drama and conspiracy i'd rekon :)

[Vitalux]

What If Humans Were Twice as Intelligent?

All one would have to do to reach this level would be to turn off the television and start to use that grey matter between our ears.

in terms of Avalon,

Probably a lot of those doom and gloom post would severely diminish from these forums.:spider:

[modwiz]

Some people are twice as intelligent as others. The difference is striking, as are the results.

[CdnSirian]

If we were all half as intelligent but highly compassionate for the race and the planet, we'd be looking at a different scenario. (assuming no outside interference).

[Bill Ryan]

If we were all half as intelligent but highly compassionate for the race and the planet, we'd be looking at a different scenario. (assuming no outside interference).

What a great response. That's 100% true.

Intelligence doesn't always equate to awareness or spiritual/personal development. I've met a lot of people with very high measured IQs (i.e. very intellectually developed) who were emotionally or spiritually extremely unaware. The immaturity and imbalance was quite staggering in some cases.

High IQ + low EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) + low SQ (spiritual intelligence quotient) = a potentially very dangerous person indeed.

[Flash]

I max out iq tests but it's not much fun. You just see the world a bit more clearly and find it hard to find people who get what you're saying. There's usually a price too, most people with very high iqs tend to find social situations hard to deal with. I can mimic social behaviour but i don't enjoy it. There's nothing that special about it though, yes a high iq person learns faster but a bright arsehole is still an arsehole. Your heart's more important.

You got it joedjemal, when I saw the title of the thread, my first thought was: "What if humans were twice as heart opened?" or you may say compassionnate, empathetics, etc.

I have met extremely bright individuals, probably in the 160 IQs, that were complete arsholes, but intelligent ones, therefore very cruels and creating lots of inteligent damages around themselves. The worst one were those with high IQs and low EQs (emotional intelligence). I think improvement on EQ is much more essential for improving a society than improvements in IQs.

The other point you have is the social adaptaton of high IQs. It is socially much less interesting for them and, even if they are heart compassionate wonders, they are often rejected by the ones who do not understand that intelligence can be of help to everyone, even to the non intelligent ones. I have seen very bright people fired for example because their less bright, more neurotically competitive bosses who were scared of them. Get rid of what you do not understand yet may have to trust because it is deamed better, was their motto. Often bright ones have to shut up in order to survive financially and be patient with stupidity.

My motto: heart enhancement for all, then, later, brain enhancement (imagine PTB with yet more brain to cause trouble and enslave us).

Edit: i had not read other posts before posting. But yes, Bill and Carmody and others, spiritual development comes first, get rid of the tricky ego.

In any case, very spiritually evolved being have the universal intelligence to their service, artificial enhancement becomes ludicrous.

[Flash]

Yeah, it was 10 years before I knew what the hell the movie was about. For the longest time I kept thinking it was just a cool tribute to the Wizard of Oz.

This is just a joke AlienHunter, but I cannot avoid making it:

From your comments, we will make sure you are first on the list of intelligence enhancement. So next time around, it will take you only a few months. lol

[Flash]

I'd rather have wisdom, than intelligence!!

Like joedjemal said, "A Smart Arsehole, is still an Arsehole"

Love that one......Act with WISDOM...... Intelligence will follow!

HUGS.......Godiam

Smart arsehole...sort of. In the case of such a being, more like animal cunning used instead of humane thinking.

Cunning is what people use when they are of low empathy, one could say. (as in: expand the definition of 'cunning')

As for breaking down the ego, or sublimation of the ego, that is a tricky thing to be doing and it requires the utmost dedication and effort. it is messy at best.

But don't let that little comment slow you down.

Think about it every day, think about it all the time. Try to imagine what the ego is, find the corners of it's face in your mind. Start the process of picking away at it, or however one may want to phrase it.

To begin, try to live in consciousness of the ego as the mask that it is. Learn the process of becoming aware. To be aware of the self as a reflection at all times. and so on. Dedication, reading, effort, etc. How much? As much as you are, effort wise. No free rides here, no easy solution.

Gosh Carmody, with this answer of yours (ego as the mask(s)), I just understood a dream I had fifteen years ago, I am no better than 10 years lap in understanding a movie for Alien Hunter, lol
Thanks

[Joe Akulis]

I was about to post something about hoping that along with all the high IQs comes something like in the movies Powder and Phenomenon, where it also brings along more psychic aptitude. Then I saw Bill's post. And maybe intelligence isn't much of a factor when it comes to realizing our greater potentials...

So now I'm no longer interested in contemplating a world where everyone is twice as intelligent. I'm more interested in the world where we all are twice? as psychically capable than we are now. Of course, twice of nothing is nothing, so maybe let's say, "...where we're all learning to do cool stuff with our minds."

Oh darn, that could produce bigger jerks too, couldn't it... Hmmm....

[another bob]

"...where we're all learning to do cool stuff with our minds."

How do you think we got here in the first place?

:whistle:

[Joe Akulis]

"...where we're all learning to do cool stuff with our minds."

How do you think we got here in the first place?

:whistle:

Same way everyone else got here. By googling "Drake". LOL (sorry)

[Mad Hatter]

Instead of using yet another methodology (IQ testing) to divide and thus by default end up making some feel inferior, to me it seems a more intelligent choice to simply learn to make the best of and celebrate that which we have already been gifted with.

A fine example of that is the output of a man whose IQ measured around 120 and his gift to the world, in the form of advances in QED physics is as undeniable as was Newtons (@ 200?). I am talking here about one Richard Feynman and the difference attitude and approach can make.

Although I've not had the pleasure of meeting either of the gentlemen in question, intuition tells me they both had massive ego's since to my mind it is ego that gives one the ability to know they are right and proceed in a certain direction anyway despite what the herd may say thus I really can't see the relevance to the discussion of that factor in light of the OPs reference to the last paragraph in particular... but hey I've been wrong before and have no delusion about the fact I'll be wrong again since like most animals that is how I learn, despite, or because of, my ego being involved.

One perspective, from the smartest 10% viewpoint, was nicely summed up, I think, by Marvin the paranoid android in hitch hikers guide to the galaxy when he said... "Here I am, brain the size of a planet and you, want me, to make you, a cup of tea..."

PS: If, as some might argue, we are all bits of the divine spark then would that not indicate some bits of the divine spark are dimmer than others?? :p

[bluestflame]

they'd probably invent an IQ tax and tax the lower 90% :)

[RunningDeer]

The idea of dissolving these boundaries is scary when I'm being totally honest--but that may be in part because I am conflating ego with a core 'self.' (And I don't want whatever my core essence is... to dissolve.)

When the Ego is gone, what fills its place? What maintains the boundaries of self?


Hello CurtisW,

For me, what fills it’s place? For starters: freedom, passion, peace, love, joy, silence, gratitude, ecstasy, sharing, acceptance, clouds, trees, flowers, birds, bees, deer, and Ben and Jerry’s.

The short list...Everything. Then, no thing needs to “fill its place”. Cool if/when I reach it. But for now, for me it’s the journey that “maintains the boundaries of self”.

Peace,
WhiteCrowBlackDeer :wave:


Carmody, when you say ego, what specifically do you mean? I ask this in all sincerity, knowing full well that it may be seen as a foolish question.

I must admit, I actually have no clue what the ego is--apart from a very narrow Freudian understanding of the term.

Is ego a false boundary? An unnecessary limitation of the self? Is it separate from a healthy, if still illusory boundary separating 'I/Me' from others?

The idea of dissolving these boundaries is scary when I'm being totally honest--but that may be in part because I am conflating ego with a core 'self.' (And I don't want whatever my core essence is... to dissolve.)

When the Ego is gone, what fills its place? What maintains the boundaries of self?

Thanks.

Self hypnosis can be used to slowly remove the veil within, if you desire to do so. this is my point bout meditation, food, and exercise.

If one does that, their IQ score would likely increase by, oh...30-60%, on average. As a minimum, I'm suspecting.

Dissolve the ego and you can have that intellect ...which is blocked off. If the ego is still the ascendant in the given person, then they are blocked from the true depths of their own intelligence.

Emotions and ego do indeed cloud things by that much.