From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Fri Aug 10 2001 - 06:56:52 MDT
Barbara Lamar wrote:
>
> > Why does society consider a person who can memorize words and
> > formulas, or discern problems presented in a written test be more
> > able to "think" than someone whose cognizance is highly skilled
> > in dealing with life's varied problems and applying knowledge to
> > clear-headed analysis? I don't.
>
> I think most people would agree with you, Natasha, that common sense is as
> important as IQ. The two kinds of intelligence aren't mutually exclusive,
> though. I haven't followed the discussion about Mensa on Cryonet, but the
> people I met at the Mensa dinner meetings seemed quite ordinary; some seemed
> to be well endowed with common sense and others didn't, as with any other
> gathering of people.
Though I think that this is more a matter of focus. I've known many high
IQ people, and generally they display very good sense about decisions
*when they are giving it attention*, but if they are distracted by
thinking about something else, there seems to be less so. My cousin
Catherine, for example, who went to Johns Hopkins University at age 16,
with an IQ higher than me, had a VERY poor driving record for a number
of years, totalled several cars simply from not paying attention to her
driving, distracted by abstract thoughts, but is today one of the most
sensible people I know.
I don't know if several years of touring with the Dead that did it.
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