Page 1 of 2

A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:02 pm
by Kupo
When you post on a genius forum, or better yet tell somebody what your IQ is or how you cannot conceive of being around people who are of a normal intelligence, do you ever feel like a self-loving douchebag? I know I would!


-A

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:19 pm
by Trevor Salyzyn
"Andy Warhol is the only genius with an IQ of 60." -Gore Vidal

As Dan just said to the last troll who made this mistake, this is a forum about genius, not for geniuses. We talk about people like Buddha, Jesus, and Socrates, and what makes them unique.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:30 pm
by Jamesh
do you ever feel like a self-loving douchebag
I don't care if you are just having a dig.

The answer is Yes, the more one becomes confident in their knowledge of "what is real and what is not", the greater the opportunity for delusions of granduer to arise and one becoems more certain of their relationship to everything else.

Delsuions of granduer are something to be careful of. I occassionally let them override my rationality. Many "gurus" completely succumb to it. We on this forum, even the majority here like myself who don't usually refer to themselves as fully enlightened, are anti virtually all of the modern day gurus, for this and other reasons (such as their knowledge of reality being quite shallow and self-centred).

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:53 pm
by Dan Rowden
Kupo wrote:When you post on a genius forum, or better yet tell somebody what your IQ is or how you cannot conceive of being around people who are of a normal intelligence, do you ever feel like a self-loving douchebag? I know I would!-A
Do you usually not read the intro to forums you bag? So far, the IQ of people coming here from places known has been utterly disappointing.

<yawn>

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:22 pm
by Unidian
The idea that IQ has anything to do with the concept of "genius" promoted here shows that the latest SomethingAwful arrival hasn't bothered to find out what this place is about.

I really do wish they had never called it "Genius Forum." Half the trouble around here is caused by that word. It's guaranteed to attract both egotists and hecklers. Granted, it's traffic, but I doubt it's the kind that will help.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:28 pm
by tooyi
Unidian wrote:I really do wish they had never called it "Genius Forum."
The title and the word Genius works as a great abrasive. It is fine.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:34 pm
by Unidian
I don't think so. I don't think it makes people question their preconceived ideas or re-examine their egotistical attachments in the slightest. To imagine that it does that is to give such people entirely too much credit. All they see is people "calling themselves geniuses" and their egos have a fit - "oh no, how dare they promote themselves over ME?" This either makes them angry, makes them laugh, or both. Verbal abuse, heckling, and ridicule are the results. There's nothing wrong with being abused and ridiculed for the sake of truth, but it's foolish to bring it upon oneself unnecessarily. That's what calling the place "Genius Forum" does. By using such a name, this forum "asks for it." I don't think it accomplishes anything useful.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 2:44 pm
by tooyi
I think this is an instance of a much general topic that is being discussed here. To me it still seems that if the idea is to kill a frog, to murder it, boiling it is just plain cruel.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:54 pm
by Carl G
What word would bring less confusion, misunderstanding, and abuse to the forum. Certainly not Enlightenment, or masculinity, or even consciousness. The Internet breeds this sort of reaction, and catches this sort of troll like a baited trap.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:47 pm
by Dan Rowden
What do you want to bring, Carl? I can't recall the last time you said something worth reading.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 6:03 am
by Shahrazad
What word would bring less confusion, misunderstanding, and abuse to the forum.
I kind of like the word wisdom, or wise. Also, sage or any variation thereof.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 8:49 am
by tooyi
I kind of like the word wisdom, or wise. Also, sage or any variation thereof.
Yes, they are great, great abrasives, as well.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:01 am
by Trevor Salyzyn
Yes, they are great, great abrasives, as well.
"Self-employed thinkers who work full time."

I wish there was a word that could get that across. I don't think English is a cruel enough language for that to be an actual word.

Oh wait, there is. Genius.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 9:40 am
by Carl G
Dan Rowden wrote:What do you want to bring, Carl? I can't recall the last time you said something worth reading.
Why the passive aggressive, Dan? I was merely saying "Genius" is as good as any other word.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:20 am
by Nick
There was nothing passive about Dan's question for you. He was about as direct as anyone can be. In fact, he's straight up calling you out.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 10:24 am
by Carl G
For what? Far as I can tell, Dan misunderstood what I was saying. Now it seems you have a problem, too, Nick. Maybe it is because I call you out on your shitty thinking when I see it.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:10 am
by Nick
Call me out all you want. I've yet to see you back up any of your criticism with sound reasoning. Much of what you say amounts to nothing more than spam. I think what Dan is calling you out on is the fact that all you ever offer this forum is off-base criticism. Quite simply, you never have anything constructive to say. And I don't mean constructive as in being agreeable with someone else, I mean you have yet to even attempt say anything that truth and wisdom can be extracted from.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:59 am
by Carl G
I point out illogic. Sorry you don't find that constructive. What are you doing here?

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:09 pm
by Dan Rowden
Carl G wrote:For what? Far as I can tell, Dan misunderstood what I was saying. Now it seems you have a problem, too, Nick. Maybe it is because I call you out on your shitty thinking when I see it.
Yeah, I totally misread your first sentence. Sorry about that.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:50 pm
by hsandman
Kupo wrote:When you post on a genius forum, or better yet tell somebody what your IQ is or how you cannot conceive of being around people who are of a normal intelligence, do you ever feel like a self-loving douchebag? I know I would!


-A
How, lucky you are not one then? Is this one of them drive by posts? Post and run?
"Normal intelligence." "Self-loving.....Dauchebag" = Are you a student of south park vocabulary school, by any chance?

Edit: Why are there so many question marks in my post? There is a great need for exclamation mark about here!

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:53 pm
by mikiel
I was referred here by someone on another site after a debate on what genius means. I had pointed out that Mensa membership just requires being in the upper 2% of all IQ tests... so 2 of every 100 qualify... obviously not all famous movers and shakers.

In the course of that debate I said (and say here again) that I am a longtime practicioner of *radical honesty* (which, btw, goes way further than the popular concept of "tough love" you see when researching the phrase.)
I see "the virtue of humility" as religious piety, which is subtle arrogance in its own ironic way (picture the winner of a humility contest feeling quite proud!)
And psychologically humility smacks of "sour grapes" syndrome dressed in the cloak of the "morality" just described.

Genius has been a curse more than a blessing, socially speaking, in my life. Yet I am not intimidated by "know it alls" no matter how famous, revered and made into icons of wisdom beyond question.
(You name the list!)

Have never belonged to a "formal" group (but homosapiens and the like) and always did my own thinking (as well as studying others' thinking)... and also discovered the realm of consciousness transcending thinking.

With a few exceptions, so far I've found mostly hecklers at the gate here who would discourage anyone with an interest in sharing personal experience of the stated subtitle of the site... or any "here is my genius" honesty. (See my exchanges in "Liberation" and "...Ultimate Reality...etc.)
But I am not intimidated...
(I'm still here.)
mikiel

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 2:59 pm
by Dan Rowden
mikiel wrote:I was referred here by someone on another site after a debate on what genius means. I had pointed out that Mensa membership just requires being in the upper 2% of all IQ tests... so 2 of every 100 qualify... obviously not all famous movers and shakers.

In the course of that debate I said (and say here again) that I am a longtime practicioner of *radical honesty* (which, btw, goes way further than the popular concept of "tough love" you see when researching the phrase.) I see "the virtue of humility" as religious piety, which is subtle arrogance in its own ironic way (picture the winner of a humility contest feeling quite proud!) And psychologically humility smacks of "sour grapes" syndrome dressed in the cloak of the "morality" just described.
Totally agree. I don't know if you've read any Nietzsche, but he addresses this issue with great aplomb.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 6:18 pm
by mikiel
Dan: "Totally agree. I don't know if you've read any Nietzsche, but he addresses this issue with great aplomb."

Yes, it was my fascination with Nietzsche that let me to an intensive study of extentialism, which it seems he "spawned." In fact, tho my MA was in psych, my thesis was on existential freedom (not the nihilistic aspect*) as a focus in psychotherapy.

* N: "In the consciousness of the truth he has perceived, man now sees everywhere only the awfulness or the absurdity of existence . . . and loathing seizes him."

(As with Sartre who ended in a blaze of nihilism on meth going 100mph down a dead end street.... and so with all the other nihilists.)

This is the downside which I now see as a philosophical pout, lacking the inspiration I shared in my "Liberation" piece opening my participation in this forum.
mikiel

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 12:23 am
by ChaoticMelody
Hmm, No one here can call themselves a true genius. I have an IQ of 169 and that puts me into the "High genius" Percentile

But even so I am no Genius, Maybe I have a greater understanding of Logic, That's it.

IQ tests are just tests of logic not overall genius.

Re: A question for a genius...

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 12:35 am
by Philosophaster
I've never taken a "real" IQ test. I think that my IQ is probably above average, but not very exceptional. I have met a decent number of people whom I consider "quicker in the head."

I do have a very good memory, a strong desire to learn, and better grammar, spelling, and vocabulary than pretty much everybody I encounter; and if you have those things, a lot of people tend to assume you have a rare intellect, even though you may not be that far above average in "processing ability" as measured by IQ.