Really? You can think of no instances of people choosing to inject themselves with a substance that subsequently causes them harm? And far worse harm than a few days sick in bed.
We aren’t talking about just any given instances of self-prescribed injections. Are you trying to make this about drug use or something?
We are specifically talking about the COVID-19 vaccine vs the virus itself.
That's simply not true. The form and function of the tests are fundamentally different. The biggest difference is that you can study for one, but studying for the other is considered cheating. You can see my other comment for further clarification.
You can respond to facts by saying "that's simply not true", but it's not going to be an effective way of convincing anyone else or of developing a coherent model of the world. The facts are that aptitude tests are psychometrically identical to IQ tests. They have the same characteristics and reveal the same information. Someone's score on an aptitude test as is predictive of their score on an IQ test as their score…
What you claim is counter to the intended uses of the tests and their very definitions. One measures innate flgeneral intelligence, whereas the other measures skill or acquired knowledge in a specific area.
Then show me some sources to support your argument, because repeating false statements doesn't further your point either.
Maybe this analogy will help: joining a high-IQ club is not like joining just any athletic club. It's like joining an athletic club that's restricted based on a metric. What if you wanted to join a hiking club in your area but found out the only way to join was to prove you hiked X mountains first? I could see why that would turn some people off. It's not the interests; it's the cutoff.
Huh? Plenty of clubs are like this, especially athletic clubs, but all sorts of clubs have cutoffs. E.g. improv clubs have auditions, chess clubs have ELO rankings, and so forth.
Sure. My point was only that Mensa is not _just_ a club about a shared interest, which was implied by the examples given by the person I responded to. I suspect it's the cutoff that people don't like.
> There is nothing wrong with one valuing their own high IQ test score. To me it suggests someone who's more concerned with being something special than doing something interesting. It seems like a kind of narcissism, and suggests that they're probably pretty boring.
How do you feel about identity based clubs such as LGBTQ-positive spaces etc?
I think LGBTQ-positive spaces are ideally supposed to operate as support groups for people at high risk of ostracism by conventional social groups. That's very different from a group celebrating possession of a marker of conventional success/moral value.
I tried not to paint with too broad a brush. There are clearly people who join for those "intellectual pursuit" reasons, but that doesn't negate the people who join for less noble reasons. I have no idea of the percentage breakdown in the two, but the second group clearly does exist and can be a real problem.
> I tried not to paint with too broad a brush. Yes, your comment seemed fair! I was referring to the podcast itself. However, instead of responding further, let me first listen to the podcast, rather than relying on second-hand assessments.
The podcast definitely focuses on those problem members more than the good because egotistical assholes make for a more interesting story than mild-mannered retired college professor types who certainly make up a sizable portion of Mensa. However I also think it is fair to criticize a group as a whole when they fail to do anything to even try to curtail their worst members.
And obviously don't feel like you owe me any response after you listen or to even listen at all, I just recommend it for those interested in what Mensa can be like and the whole series is a relatively quick listen coming in at under 3 hours.
> but maybe people insecure enough to join an IQ-restricted club are more likely to be those who suffer from setbacks in other parts of their lives. to me this reads similar to the old misconception that all bullies are insecure (it's often quite the opposite). what makes you think that people engaging in a group based on what they feel is a big part of their identity are insecure? Do you think gay people in pride pa…
> Do you think gay people in pride parades, minorities in various race groups, etc are insecure? Well, uh, yeah, sort of.. I thought the whole point of gay/ethnic/etc pride events was to overcome the insecurity caused by marginalization in society. Is that not the case?
I don't know, I don't have insecurities relating to personal identity (despite being in various categories that some people would label marginalized, though I disagree with that worldview fundamentally) so I can't say how people who do have such insecurities think. If I joined a group about XYZ it would be because I want to engage in XYZ activity or discuss XYZ topic with others, just like religious people go to their various religious activities and so on. I'm not disagreeing that some of these people in Mensa, parades, etc may in fact feel insecure, but I do want to point out that engaging in a group about a topic doesn't mean you're insecure
Of course. Gifted students are sometimes failed by schools. But I think it's safe bet that a random large group of college grads will have a higher average IQ than adults who only finished high school. Don't you?
Taking the average, that's probably true. It's open for debate though, whether the effect of depression (and other mental disorders) could have just as much influence as IQ when it comes to educational attainment. Both factors can play their own part (though they may be correlated with each other as well)
Have you heard of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis? The idea that being really smart comes with major pitfalls most of the time is part of it IMO. I love the idea of the tortured genius, and really enjoyed Good Will Hunting. But by every study out there, having high IQ almost always leads to a better life across the board (relationships, physical health, mental health, money). There are exceptions, but some people are just smarter and that pays off in many ways. It's not fair, but neither is life.