In previous posts I have addressed the problems faced by many people who are intellectually gifted. Among these is a feeling of deep isolation that comes from the inability to be understood and the pain of being misunderstood. In this post, we will look briefly at the roots of this isolation and its implications for those of high intelligence.
Most people operate mainly in emotional mode–what psychologists Kahneman and Tversky called “system 1”. In this mode we are somewhat tribal, absorbing the consensus opinions of those in our tribe without challenging the basis of our beliefs. As we chat with others in our tribe, we become deeply invested in our opinions and beliefs, and through a filter called “confirmation bias,” seek only information that confirms these beliefs. As this personal liturgy deepens, be begin to see alternative opinions as hostile or threatening. Our loyalty to our tribe deepens and empathy toward members outside the tribe abates. Throughout history, this human tendency has been manifest in religious wars, world wars, genocide, the so-called Cold War and, most recently, in the polarization of incendiary political views in America and elsewhere.
In such environments, those who challenge opinions or ideologies risk ridicule, financial ruin or, in extreme cases, bodily harm. Gifted philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche urged us to reject the tyranny of the group lest we lose our sense of self:
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
Nietzsche’s struggle, like those of many great intellectuals, reminds us that there are severe penalties in stating your ideas openly if they differ significantly from the beliefs of a powerful tribe. However, many highly intelligent people place their search for truth above the comforts of tribal membership and take risks. Others, recognizing that their insights will be misunderstood keep their own counsel and avoid expressing publicly opinions or ideas that may be highly controversial. Isaac Newton’s solitary nature, together with an excessive sensitivity to criticism had made him reluctant to publish anything. As he expressed in a letter on November 18, 1676:
I will resolutely bid adieu to it [further publication] except what I do for my private satisfaction, or leave to come out after me [after my death] for I see a man must either resolve to put out nothing new, or become a slave to defend it.
Einstein, another genius of the highest magnitude, also curtailed his public comments, recognizing the dangers of being misunderstood. You will see an example of this in the comments below provided in a Quora post by Josh Hill who states, “Let me give you an example from Albert Einstein’s personal travel diaries, recently made public for the first time:
Then downwards to the temple wall (Wailing Wall), where dull ethnic brethren, with their faces turned to the wall, bend their bodies to and fro in a swaying motion. Pitiful sight of people with a past but without a present. –Einstein’s Trip to the Far East and Palestine – Google Arts & Culture
Obviously, Einstein wasn’t going to say that publicly! One can see in Einstein’s diaries some of the unvarnished observations of genius (Einstein considered Biblical stories childish), and why they can’t or shouldn’t be expressed. The dull incomprehension with which the diaries have been greeted says as much about why as the sometimes unflattering nature of his judgments. Some things are better left unsaid, some things are not permitted to be said, and some things, when cheapened by those of little understanding or malign intent, can do great harm.
