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Hold it against someone's throat and tell them to roll up the blind?
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Mike Hankey wrote: Intelligence depends on the subject matter, most people could carry on an intelligent conversation in some area.
I suspect deep subject matter tends to camouflage lack of intelligence, in many cases. Someone who knows SubjectX inside out can discuss it in depth, debate the grey areas, and come across as highly intelligent.
However I think true "intelligence" isn't related to depth of subject knowledge, but is related to (1) the ability to take on and understand new knowledge, and (2) to apply knowledge gained in one area to another area. It's to do with making the links from a known to an unknown field, and thereby multiplying the power of the knowledge they have. Finally I believe it requires a moral aspect that can then apply that understanding for the benefit of others.
Every once in a while you come across people who have achieved mind-bogglingly vast amounts in a single lifetime. To be able to achieve so much such people not only require great stamina, an outstanding drive to achieve, (and a complete absence of procrastination!) but also the ability to absorb and re-apply skills over and over again. Many people achieve much, but there seems to be a step-change in achievement levels that is barely understandable to mere mortals like myself.
(An example that comes to mind is Beatrix Potter. Many people will think of her as a children's book author. However most of her books were not for children; she was also a diarist (written in a cipher of her own invention), painter, illustrator, botanist (specialising in mycology - doing original research on fungal germination and hybridisation and publishing a paper on the subject), conservationist, pioneer of merchandising (her stuffed-toy Peter Rabbit was the very first licensed character), landowner, farmer, sheep breeder and judge, historian and more. All this at a time when women were not expected (and even allowed) to do some of these things; and travelling regularly between London, the Lake District and Scotland.)
[See Wikipedia[^]
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I mostly agree but I think the true sign of genius is imagination.
I don't think before I open my mouth, I like to be as surprised a everyone else.
PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - Release Version 1.3.0 JaxCoder.com
Latest Article: SimpleWizardUpdate
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Perhaps we need intelligent people who are also receptive to other's ideas, meaning those who are patient listeners.
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100%... I'd extend that to say that it takes two people to talk though. As for me, whether or not this makes me "dumb"... I've lost patience with a lot of immature people who just argue and rattle off stupid nonsense. I admit I'm jaded though. There's just only so many years a person can watch the same crap happen over and over before it gets old.
Jeremy Falcon
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Jeremy Falcon wrote: There's just only so many years a person can watch the same crap happen over and over before it gets old.
I hope you're ignoring politics. 
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Actually, just by listening (to certain people), you are considered "intelligent." But if they catch you listening to someone else ...
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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Reminds me of some blogger who worked for a decade or more at Microsoft. I forget who it was, but it doesn't matter.
After leaving the company, he wrote he knew there were very smart people working at Microsoft. His claim is that he was just expressing frustration from never meeting any of them while he was there...
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dandy72 wrote: After leaving the company, he wrote he knew there were very smart people working at Microsoft. His claim is that he was just expressing frustration from never meeting any of them while he was there...
100%! People need to connect with other humans. It can be lonely to know the best conversation you're going to get out of those around you are fundamentally tantamount in caliber to that of a high school conversation.
Jeremy Falcon
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You have an IQ of 132+? (Mensa)
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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If I say yes... would it be believable? If I say no... would it be believable still? 
You should know my bias... I think the concept of an IQ has serious flaws. There is more than one type of intelligence. It also fluctuates, as in the IQ isn't static throughout a person's life. Not to mention, different tests use different scoring systems and so on. But humans are humans, and we need something quantifiable to explain to average folks what cannot be comprehended.
So, I'll just say it like this... I can pass whatever dinky test they throw my way, and I've taken IQ tests in the past as a child and adult. Not official tests at a center or anything, but from books and so on (except for one but I don't trust that place), and it was always around 150+ depending on the test. To be fair, I was young and less depressed, so preliminary aging (via depression) can take its toll should I score lower now. But, I'm willing to bet, worst case scenario, I could pass it after a few tries at least.
But, I don't like labels and numbers. They're not static anyway. It's a system of classification that excludes. I get it though... people want something to measure.
Jeremy Falcon
modified 7-Nov-23 16:20pm.
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On Stack Overflow, closing issues as 'redundant,' or giving other reasons... 
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So true!!
I have an SO story that still burns deeply.
I once posted a question to electronics.stackexchange.com (the most ruthless of all SO/SE sites) and I was asking :
Why is it that capacitors with lower farad ratings often go up on Voltage rating.
I had searched and searched for the answer. I really wanted to know the answer.
I wrote up extra info and was very curios.
Some editor deleted my question so that I couldn't even see the question again.
It was just closed but it was deleted. I took like 20 minutes researching and writing it up and they freaking deleted it!!! Still kills me. 
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Jeremy Falcon wrote: Btw, if you say you're intelligent you're not.
Catch 22: Are you?
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dandy72 wrote: Are you?
Nope.
Jeremy Falcon
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Just checking. 
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I am more interested in how kind people are than how smart they are. But you're right. I joined an online banter group and the right wing filth in there worked out I have morals and started to mass report my accounts to get them deleted. My attempts at finding basic friendship are always frustrated by the fact I have morals
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Christian Graus wrote: My attempts at finding basic friendship are always frustrated by the fact I have a kind of morals not compatible with theirs
FTFY moral is like beauty, it depends on the eye that is looking at it.
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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No, I'm sorry, trying to kill muslims and trans kids is not morals
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Hmm, morals, the principles of right and wrong, isn't something we are born with, it's taught and learned.
Like normality it's relative. Relative to your family, relative to your community, relative to your society, but unlike normality it isn't relative to our species.
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I learned a long time ago to read a lot of books.
That's where I find "intelligent" people.
These book are some of my favorites and I've read them all at least once - most of them I've read numerous times.
If you read all of these and need more, I've got them.
Here's a list of books that I highly recommend:
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World[^]
Turns modern ideas upside down and will make you think again about what learning is and why it's important to learn tons of stuff that normally doesn't belong together.
Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness[^]
Gets to the root of how motivation works. Explains the modern problems that people are having with being resilient. Will open your eyes in many ways. The story from the author is fantastic one of achievement even while becoming overwhelmed by life.
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future[^]
The best business book I've ever read. If you really wanted to start a business you'd read this book and follow the author's advice (who actually followed his own advice himself and is very successful person). Where other business books fall flat because they are so theoretical, this one soars with hands-on work to do to get it all going. If only University would teach business like this!!
Happy People Are Annoying[^] - Josh Peck (child actor)
Josh pulls no punches about his own life -- very self-deprecating.
He went through some difficult things, addiction, etc. but his story is absolutely inspiring and he never goes too dark in the retelling. Overall super inspirational.
I felt much better for reading this book.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success[^]
The title doesn't do this book justice. Filled with research and insight. So inspiring.
Explains two mindsets: Fixed & Growth. I started out life as fixed and was a failure and a zero until I finally understood that anything could be learned (and turned into Growth mindset).
Linchpin: Are You Indispensible?[^]
I've read this book once and listened to the entire thing 8 times.
I originally listened to it in 2008 when it released and then I listened to it once every year.
I've read many Seth Godin books and this is the one I like. I listen to his podcast and I often disagree, but this book is must-read (must-listen) for anyone working in the modern world!!!
Fiction
Game of Thrones[^] - the novel (I've never watched the series, but my two adult sons have)
I just completed the 1st novel and was amazed at how great the writing is.
I'm now reading Clash of Kings[^] (picked it up at a 2nd hand store for $2)
Conspicuously missing from the list:
Atomic Habits - read it, and it could've been presented in a pamphlet. Mostly boring.
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Interesting...
thanks for the list.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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If you read any of those (or have read) I'm open to discussion about them.
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I haven't read them, but I am looking into mindfullness / resilience / positive thinking / non violent communication / personal growth and some of other topics in the direction due to personal interest.
I have even joined a "new culture" network at work, trying to change the general mindset (while learning myself about it as a collateral profit) at the company.
I am curious... have you read something of "Human design"? I have never taken astrology seriously, but I have attended a serie of online sessions about the topic and I liked the guy's explanations. I even did a couple of tests myself in meetings with other people and I really got surprised about the results.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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No, I've never read anything like that.
And, none of the books that I've mentioned are "personality-based".
Instead, the books look at large studies of large groups of people and how they behave and then take some ideas from that.
Also, have you read the book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains[^], ?
I'm not mentioning that in relation to your post, just that the book has tons of research and the things they discovered about the way people behave and learn and why. I highly suggest that book.
It's another that I read twice. Absolutely fascinating.
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