So I was watching 1 vs 100 on nbc and i saw next week they are gonna have this guy in there. His name is Chris Langan and he's IQ is between 190-210, I was interested and did some research and found this videos about him. He did have some interesting points but some others i dont agree with. What you guys think?
Having a bigger head doesn't mean being smarter, look at elephants, whales, and other big headed creatures versus monkeys and ravens, who are clearly more intelligent.
On January 19 2008 12:09 A3iL3r0n wrote: He seems more bluster than actual intelligence. Maybe he's got a super fast computer, but all he's got in there is minesweeper.
Beautiful metaphor for this case. The guy needs to install Starcraft.
If he had been able to continue his education, he probably could have pursued Hawking's or Einstein's work.
These are the sort of people that really anger me, they claim to have superior intelligence and claim they have the power to change the world, yet they do nothing about it, yeah put me in charge and I'll make this world a better place, but while you get around to doing that, I'll be over here mixing concrete.
Is Eugenics really that crazy? And hes NOT talking about breeding smarter or better looking people, hes talking about taking out the genetic problems such as downs syndrome etc...
On January 19 2008 12:03 zdd wrote: Having a bigger head doesn't mean being smarter, look at elephants, whales, and other big headed creatures versus monkeys and ravens, who are clearly more intelligent.
He was referring to brain size, which often equates to head size
He's brilliant and I agree with his understanding of intelligence, but his gloomy outlook is justifiable when you consider his personal background. I would, however, expect him to realize that his upbringing and dealings in education have affected his view point and he should make light of that rather than being so matter of fact about things.
I disagreed with a lot of what he said, especially regarding a lack of intelligent people in high offices and he really has no credibility when it comes to those assertions because he's a distant outsider. I also wonder why he hasn't done more than CTMU and criticizes academia for "using up all the money for research" when we've got DND nerds building nuclear reactors in their parents' basement.
His Wikipedia page is pretty interesting.
In conjunction with his ideas, Langan has claimed that "you can prove the existence of God, the soul and an afterlife, using mathematics."
Asked about creationism, Langan has said:
"I believe in the theory of evolution, but I believe as well in the allegorical truth of creation theory. In other words, I believe that evolution, including the principle of natural selection, is one of the tools used by God to create mankind. Mankind is then a participant in the creation of the universe itself, so that we have a closed loop. I believe that there is a level on which science and religious metaphor are mutually compatible."[14]
Langan has said he does not belong to any religious denomination, explaining that he "can't afford to let [his] logical approach to theology be prejudiced by religious dogma."[14] He calls himself "a respecter of all faiths, among peoples everywhere."
The last line is a bit phony to me. I also think it's a load of crap when he says he thinks intelligent people are equally as important/good as regular people, but they have more responsibility.
EDIT: I don't think he ever says IQ=intelligence. He calls it something like the ability to understand and interconnect ideas.
I watched the whole thing and was actually pretty disappointed. I thought he was actually going to display his intelligence and speak on something.
Instead he babbled on for one of the most pretentious and narcissistic speeches I have ever heard. There's a reason no one knows who he is, and why he's contributed nothing to science or anything else productive.
From his wiki article: "Langan is a fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design (ISCID),[20] a professional society which promotes intelligent design,[21] and has published a paper on his CTMU in the society's online journal Progress in Complexity, Information, and Design in 2002.[22] Later that year, he presented a lecture on his CTMU at ISCID's Research and Progress in Intelligent Design (RAPID) conference.[23] In 2004, Langan contributed a chapter to Uncommon Dissent, an essay collection of works that question Darwinian evolution edited by ISCID cofounder and leading intelligent design proponent William Dembski.[24]"
That's all I needed to read to know this guy is a douche.