Co-Workers and their high IQs. Know any Geniuses?

2014-11-02T16:40:20-05:00

Whenever one gets into a debate with other workers, it seems almost invariably that someone says they have a High I.Q. and/or belong to Mensa. Most of the time however, reality and imagination or lies cannot fit into the same theater.

How many Einsteins down you know? I am sure quite a few.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 5:17 PM

2014-11-02T17:17:04-05:00

I'm that guy who got super high scores on everything ever, but has no common sense. But I realize that and generally don't argue with people who possess common sense.

(edited because I couldn't work my phone properly and hit post before I was done typing.)

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 5:25 PM

2014-11-02T17:25:33-05:00

Great question, SGM Private RallyPoint Member! Not only have I met know-it-alls at work ... I've met one or two here on RallyPoint. Geniuses all around; legends in their own minds!

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Nov 2 at 2014 5:34 PM

2014-11-02T17:34:32-05:00

A long time ago I realized that initially there is very little between the idiot and the genius. Both, in the beginning make the same mistakes. The difference is that the idiot normally says "Hey, look what I did!" The genius realizes they did something stupid and does not make the same mistake again.

The reason I wrote that is so this makes more sense. IF you have to tell someone you are a genius, you're not! IF someone cannot figure out on their own that you know what you are talking about, then they will figure out just as fast that you don't.

Response by CW2 Joseph Evans made Nov 2 at 2014 5:32 PM

2014-11-02T17:32:41-05:00

The modalities of intelligence: Musical–rhythmic and harmonic, Visual–spatial, Verbal–linguistic, Logical–mathematical, Bodily–kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, and Existential.

What really is intelligence? what does it really mean? is it just about information? or is it really about knowledge? Is it how or what we learn? or what we are able to do with it?

If I claim to no everything, I truly know nothing. If I claim to know anything, it should be how little I truly understand.

Yeah, every body knows somebody, and there are times when I see that somebody in me. ;)

Response by SrA Marc Haynes made Nov 2 at 2014 6:18 PM

2014-11-02T18:18:42-05:00

Where I work there are many, sometimes when you talk to them about some of the research that they have done it is like how the hell do think up stuff like that?

Some of the docs in the ER where somewhat spooky smart. I think that they are a different breed of physician because they don't focus on just one body system. It amazed me how they would come up these abstract facts about diseases that would lead to the correct diagnosis.

One of the residents undergrad was in physics. He developed a device that could, I believe, predict a neurological event I think was stroke. It was relatively small, it was in a metal case with protective phone inside & fit inside a backpack. Anyway he and I were on the same flight to a national emergency medicine conference in S.F. where he is going to present his research on this device. Anyone seeing were this is going? So he has the device and the informational poster to display the information on the device. I am pretty sure the rotund TSA agent either birthed a kitten or had a mini stroke when it goes through the scanner. He had to show his credentials, conference information, and poster and still explain it to the head TSA honcho for the entire airport. He almost missed the flight.

When we land and our waiting for our luggage he goes, "don't you wish someone had a medical emergency on the flight"? I looked at him and told him he'll no and that he needs to get out more

So yes I work around people that make me feel grateful that I remembered to put my underwear on INSIDE my pants.

Response by Cpl Christopher Allen-Shinn made Nov 2 at 2014 6:30 PM

2014-11-02T18:30:03-05:00

I've earned two master's degrees, and a good friend recently told me that I'm too good for many workplaces. In his opinion, I need to either find a place that lets me shine and fully appreciates my talents, or I need to "play the game" (or "hide my light under a bushel"), pretending to be more normal and less skilled so that co-workers / supervisors won't target me via inter-office politics. I think that my friend is being very cynical and perhaps inflating my value, but I agree to the extent that some people seem to feel threatened by me professionally. I'm currently on the job market again, and I really want to find the right fit, but it's a serious challenge in spite of my qualifications.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 6:29 PM

2014-11-02T18:29:21-05:00

How about their kids who can do their A-B-Cs by the 8th grade. They are gifted. hahah

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Nov 2 at 2014 8:30 PM

2014-11-02T20:30:37-05:00

None, I belong to RallyPoint where the REAL people are. Mensa, shmensa!

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Nov 2 at 2014 8:32 PM

2014-11-02T20:32:43-05:00

Outside of here, the most common "geniuses" I run into are those with PhDs in the obvious.

Response by SPC James Mcneil made Nov 2 at 2014 8:49 PM

2014-11-02T20:49:23-05:00

I know a wide variety of people. From the absolute genius type to the type that makes me wonder who ties their shoes. I've debated quite a few actual genius types, but the ones that are funny are the ones that are faking it. Those are funny because all it takes is a few seconds to realize they are not as smart as they want people to believe.

I would like to say that I take the high road in debates like this, but I can't. It's much more fun to take apart their logic one flaw at a time.

Response by SFC Dr. Joseph Finck, BS, MA, DSS made Nov 2 at 2014 10:00 PM

2014-11-02T22:00:30-05:00

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member Great topic. Yes, I knew, know, one. He can be quite challenging to deal with. Common sense is not so common and he seems to have little to no filter when speaking with anyone. He is virtually too smart to work with people.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 10:16 PM

2014-11-02T22:16:00-05:00

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member. As others have mentioned . . . there are many intelligence scales . . . and those who score high on one intelligence scale are all too often very severely lacking on other intelligence scales. More to the point . . . there are many high intellectually intelligent people who routinely fail at emotional intelligence . . . poorly tolerate others . . . are poorly tolerated by others . . . cannot maintain a relationship . . . cannot really supervise others . . . or even hold a routine / ordinary / healthy job. In my opinion, genius embodies far more than merely high score on arbitrary intelligence test scales . . . scores do not adequately represent genius . . .

Estimated Adult IQ's of Famous Geniuses:

Bobby Fischer (Chess Player) 187
Galileo Galilei (Astronomer/Philosopher/Physicist) 185
Rene Descartes (Philosopher/Mathematician) 180
Immanuel Kant (Philosopher) 175
Charles Darwin (Naturalist) 165
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer) 165
Albert Einstein (Physicist) 160
George Eliot (Writer) 160
Nicolaus Copernicus (Astronomer) 160
Rembrandt van Rijn (Painter) 155

You simply cannot even begin to suggest these intelligence scores even begin to represent their abilities.

I went on a date with a guy to a Mensa meeting once . . . so much arrogant wasted words and talents.

In the end, no matter how smart someone may be . . . there will always be someone far smarter around.

Warmest Regards, Sandy

Response by COL Vincent Stoneking made Nov 2 at 2014 10:26 PM

2014-11-02T22:26:09-05:00

High IQ is overrated. I would take an motivated average Joe over a Certified Genius™ any day of the week.

Disclaimer: Yes, I was in Mensa for a while, but left because I was underwhelmed by the people I met there.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2014 10:29 PM

2014-11-02T22:29:43-05:00

Feynman was universally regarded as one of the fastest thinking and most creative theorists in his generation. Yet it has been reported-including by Feynman himself-that he only obtained a score of 125 on a school IQ test.

I suspect that this test emphasized verbal, as opposed to mathematical, ability. Feynman received the highest score in the country by a large margin on the notoriously difficult Putnam mathematics competition exam, although he joined the MIT team on short notice and did not prepare for the test.

This according to Steven Hsu a Physics Professor at Oregon U.

Response by SSG V. Michelle Woods made Nov 2 at 2014 11:51 PM

2014-11-02T23:51:06-05:00

The second most commonly used pick-up line by infantrymen: "I have a 116 GT score".

Coming in first place: "I'm not your typical infantryman."

Lol everyone thinks they're a genius in the Army and it's usually based off of some absurd credentials.

Response by LCpl Steve Wininger made Nov 3 at 2014 12:15 AM

2014-11-03T00:15:56-05:00

Last genus I sawd was a piciture of me whilst I were holdin my gradumation paper from the sixt grad. Ma and Pa wus so prod of me for gradimating befor they wus fartin dust.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Nov 3 at 2014 8:12 AM

2014-11-03T08:12:05-05:00

When I was a junior CPT (O-3) and just starting my job as a Battery Executive Officer, there were times when I was convinced that my unit's 1SG and my Platoon Sergeant were Army geniuses -- at least in a regs, doctrine, and Army wisdom sense.

Response by CPL Rick Stasny made Dec 2 at 2014 9:44 AM

2014-12-02T09:44:24-05:00

I'm no rocket scientists, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once.