Can everyone be an Einstein?

What if einstein was just a dumb dumb compared to most of what humanity could evolve into? What if people like Einstein are like the first monkeys who spend most time on two legs and were missing fur, and our concept of intelligence in too narrow and limited to recognize that what we call genius is the lower end of the bell curve our species will evolve to occupy?

Re: Can everyone be an Einstein?

#6

Post by litewulf » Sun, Nov 16, 2008, 11:18 PM UTC

LPTS wrote: post #5

What if einstein was just a dumb dumb compared to most of what humanity could evolve into? What if people like Einstein are like the first monkeys who spend most time on two legs and were missing fur, and our concept of intelligence in too narrow and limited to recognize that what we call genius is the lower end of the bell curve our species will evolve to occupy?

Thats like asking if what if DSL is slow compared to FIOS or something when everyone else is on dial up.

Sure, I guess you can always find someone smarter. But really, Einstein had a particular "smartness" and existed at a certain point in time that made him notable. To say that someone sometime could come along and be better is pretty meaningless.

Just because the local maximum is not the global maximum does not imply the local maxima are meaningless.

Re: Can everyone be an Einstein?

#7

Post by LPTS » Sun, Nov 16, 2008, 11:35 PM UTC

litewulf wrote: post #6

LPTS wrote: post #5

What if einstein was just a dumb dumb compared to most of what humanity could evolve into? What if people like Einstein are like the first monkeys who spend most time on two legs and were missing fur, and our concept of intelligence in too narrow and limited to recognize that what we call genius is the lower end of the bell curve our species will evolve to occupy?

Thats like asking if what if DSL is slow compared to FIOS or something when everyone else is on dial up. Sure, I guess you can always find someone smarter. But really, Einstein had a particular "smartness" and existed at a certain point in time that made him notable. To say that someone sometime could come along and be better is pretty meaningless. Just because the local maximum is not the global maximum does not imp…

It seems to me that if the local maximum in 1940 was lower than the global minimum in 2140, interesting things would happen, and that's worth wondering about.

How to best give people nutrition, love, security and education and everything they need to develop to their full potential are all tractable problems. How to manipulate human brains to enhance performance is something we learn more about every day. A guy in australia is unlocking savant abilities is some people with TMS. It's quite possible as these ideas blend with each other, a revolution in living could happen where the average person was functioning at a higher cognitive level then einstein. It may in fact be the only way we don't all kill ourselves by blowing up the planet.

Re: Can everyone be an Einstein?

#8

Post by known » Mon, Nov 17, 2008, 1:39 AM UTC

litewulf wrote: post #6

LPTS wrote: post #5

What if einstein was just a dumb dumb compared to most of what humanity could evolve into? What if people like Einstein are like the first monkeys who spend most time on two legs and were missing fur, and our concept of intelligence in too narrow and limited to recognize that what we call genius is the lower end of the bell curve our species will evolve to occupy?

Thats like asking if what if DSL is slow compared to FIOS or something when everyone else is on dial up. Sure, I guess you can always find someone smarter. But really, Einstein had a particular "smartness" and existed at a certain point in time that made him notable. To say that someone sometime could come along and be better is pretty meaningless. Just because the local maximum is not the global maximum does not imp…

You are a product of your environment. --Clement Stone

Re: Can everyone be an Einstein?

#9

Post by litewulf » Mon, Nov 17, 2008, 1:40 AM UTC

LPTS wrote: post #7

litewulf wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats like asking if what if DSL is slow compared to FIOS or something when everyone else is on dial up. Sure, I guess you can always find someone smarter. But really, Einstein had a particular "smartness" and existed at a certain point in time that made him notable. To say that someone sometime could come along and be better is pretty meaningless. Just because the local maximum is not the global maximum does not imp…

It seems to me that if the local maximum in 1940 was lower than the global minimum in 2140, interesting things would happen, and that's worth wondering about. How to best give people nutrition, love, security and education and everything they need to develop to their full potential are all tractable problems. How to manipulate human brains to enhance performance is something we learn more about every day. A guy in au…

I doubt the global minimum is going to change too much in the short term. There are people with philosophical objections against say genetic treatment for diseases, and I think certain developmental disabilities will remain with us for a long time.

(Plus, oftentimes people who are immensely smart in one respect are lacking in others, so perhaps there will always be room for, say, math savants who can do little else.)

Re: Can everyone be an Einstein?

#10

Post by gnaritas » Mon, Nov 17, 2008, 1:47 AM UTC

mellow wrote: post #4

Probably not, but I've met some people with incredibly high innate intelligence and poor formal education. Really amazing/scary at the same time.

Why would that be scary? Most people still don't attend college; attendance certainly has no bearing on innate intelligence.