I am curious to know. Why does the Jewish community have a disproportionately large number of extremely intelligent people as evidenced by the number of Nobel laureates and other great intellectuals?
The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
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Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#212I am curious to know. Why does the Jewish community have a disproportionately large number of extremely intelligent people as evidenced by the number of Nobel laureates and other great intellectuals?
Because they have higher than average intelligence, thus having "disproportionately large number of extremely intelligent people". I doubt their distribution is not normal.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#213I am curious to know. Why does the Jewish community have a disproportionately large number of extremely intelligent people as evidenced by the number of Nobel laureates and other great intellectuals?
See "The Atomic Bomb Considered As Hungarian High School Science Fair Project" https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/05/26/the-atomic-bomb-consid... and "Hungarian Education II: Four Nobel Truths" https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/05/29/four-nobel-truths/ by Scott Alexander.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#214I have always wondered how close von Neumann was to the maximum human potential. Does he sit close the outer edge of possible human potential, or can greater geniuses be created? Is there anyone alive who even comes close to Johnny?
Imagine a von Neumann who didn't drink and kept himself in shape.
I’ve always been curious about his drinking. Maybe the impression I have of him is misleading and he only drank at weekends or something. Not to compare my pathetic studies to him, but personally I’ve had to almost give up alcohol entirely to study math. I suppose I could also be getting old :)
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#215Earlier quoted context omitted.
Imagine a von Neumann who didn't drink and kept himself in shape.
He died of cancer, probably a result of nuclear testing. They didn’t fully realize how dangerous it was until later.
That's not a valid inference. Even during the era of nuclear testing, the great majority of cancers were not caused by radiation.
Now, SMOKING...
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#216Earlier quoted context omitted.
So he has what's called Photographic Memory ?
Not really. From the wikipedia page on eidetic memory [1]: ``` Although the terms eidetic memory and photographic memory are popularly used interchangeably,[1] they are also distinguished, with eidetic memory referring to the ability to view memories like photographs for a few minutes,[3] and photographic memory referring to the ability to recall pages of text or numbers, or similar, in great detail.[4][5] When the c…
I think the test case (which nobody has passed) for true photographic memory is: you are given an image of a bunch of random dots with no apparent structure, then you are given a second such image, and you have to mentally combine them and say what image they form. Because if you superimpose the two images of random dots — say using transparent slides, one on top of the other —- they actually form a photograph of Marilyn Monroe or something, but each image in isolation looks totally random.
If someone had photographic memory then they could do this superimposition in their memory, but it doesn’t seem like anybody can.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
And it's not like you can infer anything from an IQ test other than an IQ test result.
IQ is positively correlated with health, educational achievement, job performance, income and occupational status and negatively correlated with out of wedlock childbirth and being convicted of a crime. Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns, American Psychological Association http://differentialclub.wdfiles.com/local--files/definitions...
"Correlation" being the key here. All of those things are also correlated with having a good upbringing and environment, as well as nutrition in childhood, as is IQ, so IQ is basically an irrelevant reflector of environment/inheritance factors.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#218Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not nonsense. I can't stand people who post crap like "OMG I can program so I have to have a higher than average IQ". And then they link to articles that support their little circle jerk. No. Sorry. You don't. You are average. I'm average. We are all average. Just 'cause you can code doesn't mean you are suddenly god's gift to intelligence. You aren't. Really. Sorry. You are just as stupid as everybody else. Joh…
You're stunning me here. It's like you're objecting to someone saying gymnasts are coordinated or air traffic controllers can handle a lot of stress. Intelligence is a core qualification for programming, like height for basketball. You can't say "I play basketball, so I'm taller than others", but you can say "We're all basketball players, so we're likely taller than most". We're _selected_ for intelligence.
Citing Kathy Sierra’s book, Badass (pp 91–92)
> Evidence has been mounting for decades that for most non-sport domains and for most people,“natural talent” is not an absolute requirement for reaching high levels of expertise.
> Other than the sports that depend on specific physical prerequisites, few domains have hard genetic limits for expertise.There is a way in which natural ability might contribute to high expertise in non-athletic domains, but it’s not domain-specific “natural” gifts... it’s a natural ability for focused practice.
…
> Even at the very top levels in most non-sport domains, there’s little evidence that “natural talent” is a hard requirement. But where it might exist, it’s most likely to show up at the beginning of the curve and the very very very top.
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#219Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder if you've read the novel "Flowers for Algernon"? If not I have a feeling you'd like it (although perhaps find some of it difficult going - I certainly did).
I suggest reading the short story version, which came first.
I read the short story and found it to be an enjoyable but somewhat depressing read. Losing your intellectual abilities while being able to perceive that you’re losing them sounds awful :(
Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann
#220Awww, I was hoping they'd mention how Neumann was keen on launching a preemptive nuclear strike against the USSR.
Von Neumann was very smart, but I think he had poor judgement when it comes to politics. Perhaps not. I don't know tbh! When I learned about his political views many years ago it actually deeply changed strongly held opinions that I had about America. He was so smart, and I want so badly to follow in his footsteps, that I said to myself "If Von Neumann believed that only America can save the world from fascism, it is…
One thing that shouldn't be forgotten is that he judged the world as it looked at that the time he was living in it. He may have made a totally different decision if he was young and in the same stage of life today.