July 1 is Canada Day. We celebrate the fact that, relative to most of the world, we are an oasis in the desert. We enjoy a level of civility that is not only unprecedented in the world today, but also throughout history. We are multicultural, embrace education, and have a system of laws that most …
Mathematician, Paul Halmos has provided a rough rubric for ranking mathematicians in order of their achievements. In his book, “I want to be a Mathematician,” he states (p. 305): “Mathematicians of the first ranker the obvious immortals, the unarguable greats, the ones like Archimedes and Gauss. The second rank consists of people who have a …
What is the Difference between a Genius and a Super-Genius? Read More »
In his book, Entrepreneurial Genius: The Power of Passion, Gene Landrum profiled the entrepreneur, Coco Chanel, the seamstress who had little formal education, but founded the giant corporation, known as Chanel. You may recognize this as the company that produced various products, Including, the perfume Chanel No. 5. In his biography of Coco Chanel, Dr. Landrum writes …
If you Haven’t achieved much in life by the Time you’re 38, is it too Late? Read More »
Compatibility in relationships depends on a wide range of factors, including shared values, interests, communication styles, emotional compatibility, and interpersonal dynamics. These aspects are not solely determined by IQ. Emotional intelligence, empathy, communication skills, and the ability to connect with others on an emotional level also play a more significant role in fostering compatibility. However, …
Is there a correlation between IQ and compatibility between two people? Read More »
In his landmark publication, A Mathematician’s Apology, number theorist, Godfrey H. Hardy was unapologetic about the fact that number theory, unlike applied mathematics, had no real application to anything of use, stating: The “real” mathematics of the “real” mathematicians, the mathematics of Fermat and Euler and Gauss and Abel and Riemann, is almost wholly “useless,” …
Jean-Paul Sartre was born on June 21, 1905 in Paris as the only child of Jean-Baptiste Sartre, an officer in the French Navy, and Anne-Marie Schweitzer. When he was two years old, his father died and his mother moved to her parents’ house in Meudon, where she raised Sartre with help from her father who …
Participants in the International Mathematics Olympiads (IMO) represent the brightest of the bright. They have very high SAT scores, qualify for the best university programs, and have their pick of virtually any career they wish to pursue. Having these options, do they complete a Ph.D. in mathematics and enter academe or do they move in …
What happens to Math Olympiad Winners After they Graduate? Read More »
Most people who think they are worth nothing will not achieve at a high level because self-efficacy is a vital component of success. As Henry Ford once observed, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t–you’re right.” Those who believe they cannot achieve are already defeated before they begin. However, there have been many …
If we ask whether the brilliant people of the ancient cultures were more intelligent than the intellectual giants of recent generations, our best guess is based upon statistics. Probability theory predicts that the best poker hand in 100 will probably be better than the best poker hand in the first 10. Similarly the most intelligent …
Has Human intelligence increased over the past 200,000 years? Read More »
The fact that intelligence is manifest in a variety of different forms makes it difficult to characterize. However, the most widely accepted definition was articulated by psychologist Linda Gottfredson: Intelligence is a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, …
