Submitted 8 months ago by Dr_Satan@lemm.ee to [deleted]
To the top 1% truly smart people the other 99% are dumb as a box of rocks. But exactly how fucking stupid is that 99% ?
Do you actually think that they think that basically everyone is that dumb?
Do you really think that there is a magical line dividing people who have a difference of a fraction of a percentage of mental capacity?
Define stupid. Define smart.
Look up a bell curve, most measurements of intelligence that have been conceived end up making a bell curve distribution. That’s your answer, most people pool up around the middle with smaller tails on either end.
Exactly.
Which is to say, the average person is in fact not stupid, they are average. By definition.
There’s lots of different kinds of intelligence.
Many types of intelligence are no help in a rap battle or a race to grab the high score in Galaga. So choose wisely.
There’s quite a range within that 1%. Someone in the top .001% would see the average person very differently than someone at .999%.
If you’ve met 1000 people, on average the top 10 of those would be in this hypothetical 1%. But there’s quite a range in what those 10 people are like, isn’t there? If you think about the 10 smartest people you’ve met, they’re not all Stephen Hawking types. They’re not all sci fi/fantasy fans. They don’t all wear glasses. They don’t all build servers as a hobby.
So, to answer your question, the opinions of those 10 people on how smart the average person is will likewise vary greatly.
fraichu@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
What usually happens is that you’re top 1% in certain skill. There are still other skills where you’re not top 1%. Most people always keep learning from other people. A top 1% mathematician may not be top 1% anxiety manager.