Brendan Kelly Ph.D.

Brendan Kelly is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. He is author of over 50 books including the recent "Intelligence, IQ & Perception", and "Intelligence: Where we Were, Where we Are & Where we’re Going." He holds two doctorate degrees: a Ph.D. in Mathematics (Number Theory) from U. of T. and an Ed.D. in Computer Applications from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and he curates his site on Quora titled, “IQ & Intelligence.”

Why do scientists prefer mathematical explanations over intuitive ones?

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By

Our intuition is a wonderful source of ideas for innovations, general judgments and quick assessments. However, what it provides us in fast and frugal modes of thinking, it lacks in precision and scope because it is compiled from our internalized experiences. Consequently, it is often incorrect, especially when dealing with realms like quantum physics where …

Why do scientists prefer mathematical explanations over intuitive ones? Read More »

How did society’s attitude toward intellectual and tech-savvy people change between 1960-1990?

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By

Exactly 64 years ago today, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated at the 35th President of the United States. On May 25 of that year, he promised to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. The USSR had launched a satellite in 1957 and the US was about to invest a …

How did society’s attitude toward intellectual and tech-savvy people change between 1960-1990? Read More »

What are examples of scientists using everyday objects to solve complex problems?

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By

There are many examples of scientists who used everyday objects to solve complex problems. I will share only two in this post but there are many more than most people realize. In 1941, George de Mestral after taking his dog for a walk in the woods, discovered that the dog’s fur was full of burrs. …

What are examples of scientists using everyday objects to solve complex problems? Read More »

What are the most recent studies measuring IQ of top scientists and intellectuals?

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By

There are to my knowledge, no recent studies of the IQs of the top scientists or intellectuals, because most scientists have not made public their IQ scores, that may have been taken when they were in school. A relatively small number of IQs of scientists and intellectuals in other areas are available. (For example, Richard …

What are the most recent studies measuring IQ of top scientists and intellectuals? Read More »

What makes the Monty Hall Problem difficult for many people to understand? Is there a psychological reason behind this difficulty?

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By

In a previous post (The Monty Hall Dilemma: Part 1 – Intelligence and IQ ) I explained, in some detail, the meaning and origin of the Monty Hall Dilemma that had sparked widespread public controversy in 1988, following an answer that Marilyn vos Savant posted in her Ask Marilyn column in The New York Times. …

What makes the Monty Hall Problem difficult for many people to understand? Is there a psychological reason behind this difficulty? Read More »

Has the level of difficulty in mathematics increased over time? Are we less intelligent than our predecessors?

Blog / By

Mathematics as a body of knowledge has expanded exponentially since the beginning of the 20th century. Historian of mathematics, E. T. Bell said that Henri Poincaré (1854–1912) was probably the last mathematician who understood all of the fields of mathematics during his time. Since then, mathematics, developed in academia and in industry has exploded in …

Has the level of difficulty in mathematics increased over time? Are we less intelligent than our predecessors? Read More »

Do you think Susanna Reid’s question to Errol Musk, “Is Elon a genius or completely bonkers?”, was too harsh?

Blog / By

In the first few paragraphs, I’ll respond to the question, “Is Elon Musk a genius?” Then I’ll respond to the second question, “Is Elon Musk bonkers?” Is Elon Musk a Genius? The criterion I like to use in the definition of genius is provided by philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who famously observed, “Talent hits a target …

Do you think Susanna Reid’s question to Errol Musk, “Is Elon a genius or completely bonkers?”, was too harsh? Read More »

I Heard the Richard Feynman never wrote a single book. Is that True?

Blog / By

It’s true that Feynman never wrote a book before age 40. During his early career, he was immersed in the study of physics. At age 25, while working on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, he delivered a lecture titled Some Interesting Properties of Numbers to the world’s most distinguished physicists, who were gathered together …

I Heard the Richard Feynman never wrote a single book. Is that True? Read More »

Is there a correlation between participating in Olympiads and achieving success in research?

Blog / By

The short answer to this question: Those who perform well in math olympiads are very likely to do well in research, however there are successful researchers in mathematical research who did not excel in math olympiads. Among the crème de la crème in the intellectual arena are the gifted students who win medals in the …

Is there a correlation between participating in Olympiads and achieving success in research? Read More »

Is there a correlation between wealth and arrogance/egocentrism?

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By

The answer to this question depends on how we define and measure arrogance. Some dictionaries define arrogance as an “attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner,” while others define it as “an unjustifiable attitude of superiority.” In the first definition, the judgement of someone as “arrogant” is (like beauty) in the eye of the …

Is there a correlation between wealth and arrogance/egocentrism? Read More »

Verified by MonsterInsights