When the quintessential genius Sir Isaac Newton was praised for his brilliance in deriving Kepler’s mathematical laws, mathematizing gravitational force and inventing calculus, he expressed with remarkable insight the vast difference between the magnitudes of solved and unsolved problems: I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem …
People often differ in their assessment of the intelligence of others, because they apply different measures to assess intelligence. If IQ is your measure of intelligence, then there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that Elon Musk has a high IQ. The following excerpt from the book Intelligence, IQ and Perception provides a …
Education and intelligence are often assumed to be synonymous because they are highly correlated. However, correlation is a statistical concept, that doesn’t apply at the individual level. For example, there are people of extremely high IQ who have little or no education, and conversely, people of modest intelligence who have collected a variety of degrees. …
Throughout most of our evolution as a species, our knowledge has been empirically obtained. That is, we observed our world and drew conclusions based on what we saw, heard and felt. We believed the earth was flat because we didn’t observe any curvature. We believed that the earth was the center of the universe because …
What are some surprising discoveries made through deductive reasoning? Read More »
A complete answer to the general question about abstract reasoning would require many pages of discussion, so I will focus only on one tiny example. In the US election of 2024 it became apparent that one of the biggest challenges facing the average American was financial–paying for groceries and meeting financial obligations. With escalating costs, …
Years ago, I served as a mathematics supervisor for a school board serving 50,000 students spread across 70 elementary schools and 16 high schools. My job was to build the K -12 mathematics program, test the students and provide in-service for the teachers. As part of this process, I convened a committee composed of the …
In his bestseller, Thinking Fast and Slow, psychologist Daniel Kahneman outlined the two modes of thinking that he called System 1 and System 2. Roughly speaking, System 1 mode consists of intellectual processes that are “hard-wired” into our psyche and are performed automatically, or with minimal effort. Our startled reaction to an unexpected loud noise …
As social animals, we humans are always comparing ourselves to others. During our childhood, we compare ourselves to others in terms of our physical and mental attributes. Physical stature, athleticism, beauty and intellectual ability are common methods of comparison and they have a significant impact on our emerging self-concept. Those who feel superior in these …
A high IQ is a mixed blessing. In previous posts, I’ve written about the downsides of a high IQ, but in this post we’ll look at the part of a high IQ that may be called a “blessing.” A person with a high IQ learns easily, can problem-solve at very high levels, and indulge in …
The greatest danger in taking an IQ test is that you score below your potential through poor test management and spend the rest of your life undervaluing your own abilities. I’ll review a couple of the most common errors in test management and suggest remedies. The most common reason for an inaccurate measure of IQ …
