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The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

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Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#221

Post by iguy »

noblethrasher wrote: post #218
Noumenon72 wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 expert…

That may be an inspiring book, but if you're interested in what's actually known about talent, success, and the limits on our ability to measure and predict such things, then you should look elsewhere.

(Ask yourself how well the writer could explain monty hall, or regression to the mean, or what's wrong with p-values, to get an idea whether they can possibly have a handle on the material.)

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#222

Post by 7thaccount »

n4r9 wrote: post #187
x220 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've taken a medication that occasionally makes me feel stupid. For a day I might be unable to continue reading a book without re-reading each sentence a few times. I might not be able to talk to people about a complicated or technical subject without stumbling over my words. I will find it difficult to think in the abstract terms, and when I listen to others who talk about abstract values and concepts I have to cont…

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 read the synopsis and "noped" out pretty hard. I'm definitely no genius, but losing what little I have would be horrifying. All those years of work to build an understanding...gone.

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#223

Post by huherto »

ScottBurson wrote: post #127
chx wrote: post #36

> In 1945, von Neumann proposed a description for a computer architecture now known as the von Neumann architecture, Do note that he proposed a description but it wasn't his idea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Draft_of_a_Report_on_the... > some on the EDVAC design team contended that the stored-program concept had evolved out of meetings at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering…

Aha — Stigler's law strikes again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigler%27s_law_of_eponymy

Interesting read. My explanation. There are a lot more people that are B class scientists than A class. They are more likely to stumble on new ideas, but they might be unable to articulate them or they may not have the audience that will listen. It takes an A class scientist to bring those ideas forward.

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#224

Post by quasarj »

x220 wrote: post #95
lqet wrote: post #47

"Von Neumann would carry on a conversation with my 3-year-old son, and the two of them would talk as equals, and I sometimes wondered if he used the same principle when he talked to the rest of us." - Edward Teller See [0] for a demonstration. I watched a documentary from the 80ies a long time ago. A mathematician (can't remember his name) who worked with von Neumann in Los Alamanos was interviewed. He described von…

I've taken a medication that occasionally makes me feel stupid. For a day I might be unable to continue reading a book without re-reading each sentence a few times. I might not be able to talk to people about a complicated or technical subject without stumbling over my words. I will find it difficult to think in the abstract terms, and when I listen to others who talk about abstract values and concepts I have to cont…

Topomax?

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#226

Post by nyolfen »

Gatsky wrote: post #200
codingslave wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a hypothesis that almost all of the greatest intellectual achievements come from a very small number of bloodlines. I really doubt the idea that people are born and some just end up as the smartest in generations, I think theres more to the story

I am not sure that a ‘bloodline’ is a valid genetic concept. It depends a lot who the partner is, after all they provide 50% of the offspring’s genetic material. Put another way, if you are a genius in some field, the chance of having a child with someone of equal or greater aptitude is effectively zero. The ‘more to the story’ is possibly just affluence and family stability, which are also culturally embedded.

> Put another way, if you are a genius in some field, the chance of having a child with someone of equal or greater aptitude is effectively zero.

aka regression to the mean

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#227

Post by ternaryoperator »

ScottBurson wrote: post #127
chx wrote: post #36

> In 1945, von Neumann proposed a description for a computer architecture now known as the von Neumann architecture, Do note that he proposed a description but it wasn't his idea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Draft_of_a_Report_on_the... > some on the EDVAC design team contended that the stored-program concept had evolved out of meetings at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering…

Aha — Stigler's law strikes again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigler%27s_law_of_eponymy

That's a great article.

Whitehead's quote from that article ("Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it") is elegantly stating that it's unoriginal turtles all the way down.

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#228

Post by ellyagg »

monktastic1 wrote: post #122
lqet wrote: post #47

"Von Neumann would carry on a conversation with my 3-year-old son, and the two of them would talk as equals, and I sometimes wondered if he used the same principle when he talked to the rest of us." - Edward Teller See [0] for a demonstration. I watched a documentary from the 80ies a long time ago. A mathematician (can't remember his name) who worked with von Neumann in Los Alamanos was interviewed. He described von…

This is terribly sad. It's also a good lesson in why not to tie your well-being to your identity (or anything else that's impermanent -- which, actually, includes everything ). It's a lesson I'm still learning.

Anything you tie your well-being to can be taken from you. And will be in the end.

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#229

Post by grabbalacious »

darkmighty wrote: post #86
grabbalacious wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Motivation is key here. It seems that von Neumann became too fond of prestige and spy stuff. So he was less creative. Smarter than Gödel, able to recognise the importance of Gödel's work, but unable to produce anything of similar moment.

One could call it a feeling of responsibility maybe. The ongoing conflicts were defining the world and scientists (and he individually) could change the course of history. I think vNM's work is equally impressive (or even more; it's difficult to compare), maybe his main contribution is starting Game Theory[1]; but because it is spread across so many fields it doesn't look as groundbreaking. [1]: Indeed he was so conf…

'Feeling of responsibility' is a nice way of putting it but the fact is that creative geniuses are pretty irresponsible and unconscientious fellows. They abandon a lot of projects and can't force themselves to work on things that don't interest them.

Re: The Unparalleled Genius of John von Neumann

#230

Post by tim333 »

hi41 wrote: post #211

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?

There is some interesting genetic theorising https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Jewish_intelligence#...
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