Comment on What would be the most humane way to make humanity over generations increase their IQs? by seraphima

Parent Post: What would be the most humane way to make humanity over generations increase their IQs?

seraphima · 4/1/2025, 6:45:35 PM · permalink

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carp30mnia · 4/1/2025, 8:17:53 PM · permalink

Agree that IQ isn't the end-all be-all and there's other limitations to human 'success', but it's definitely a foundation that can help (and not hinder) humanity's future imo. So why not invest in it? Perhaps your experience in the irrelevance of your higher intelligence is partly because we don't live in a society that rewards or values higher intelligence enough (instead celebrating nepotism, greed, looks, and conformism). Then it's not so much a lack of true significance, as much as misapplied human priorities and missed potential. (*Where would humanity be if we had spent more time on education than beauty standards?*)  
  
**"Applicability in the real world" is also constructed by social customs and averages.** For example, if your current intelligence level was just the average required to participate and be functional in society, then it would be proportionally quite 'important' and not underutilized. Likewise, can you say with 100% certainty that a version of yourself with lesser intelligence would have come to the same conclusion as the you currently - that you were afforded at least in part by your specific capabilities for cognitive evaluation? Or might you have different thoughts if your intelligence was equivalently rewarded by a genuinely intelligence-celebratory society?  
  
Just something to think about.  
  
Disregard for a personal advantage is most easily performed by those with -- as opposed to those without. I don't expect that highly intelligent people will/or should always have to highly value their own intelligence, but they come from a position where they even have the option to take it for granted so to speak. So for someone average like myself who wishes they were smarter and were frustrated by experiences with slow cognition while in school, I find it an opinion I can't relate with. But I respect your take and am happy for your blessing of intellect and where it applies itself to benefit humanity (as an educator in your case). Agree 1000% on the importance of education/learning though.

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seraphima · 4/1/2025, 8:23:17 PM · permalink

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carp30mnia · 4/1/2025, 8:42:07 PM · permalink

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thoughtcriminal_1984 · 4/1/2025, 8:53:12 PM · permalink

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