Really Intelligent People

[SpicyDuck]

You know, like these child prodigys' etc. Why are they able to be so clever, intelligent and learn so fast?

Is there a physical difference in their brain, or does anyone have the ability to match this height of intelligence?

Quite an interesting question I think. It amazes me, what some people can acheive.

Phil.

 

[SpicyDuck]

Pffttt... n00bs'!

 

[SpicyDuck]

I had one of those in my class at school. He knew a lot of facts and could do stupidly complicated calculations in a matter of seconds but had no real world experience to put any of it to use. He was totally devoid of any social skills as he studied 24/7. I kind of felt sorry for the guy, was more like a machine than a person.

In his case I think he was just naturally 'gifted'. I don't consider it a gift, I consider it a handicap. These sort of people aren't of any use in the real world as they lack any sort of communication or interaction skills.

Interesting.

It seems really common that these people have some sort of problem, or will no doubt develop one later in life. This subject reminds me of the film Pi, which is very much to do with what has been mentioned up to now. Very interesting and a good watch for anyone who's interested.

Phil.

 

[SpicyDuck]

sometimes it's a;most as if the brain devotes so much attention to a certain type of process that it seems to neglect another. So you'll see people with truly brilliant mathematical ability who lack any kind of interpersonal ability. It's almost as if there is a finite amount of data that can be processed by the brain and if a particular amount of information is able to bew processed by one section then this must come at the expense of other areas of brain function.

I see what you mean there.

It's almost as if every person has 100 units of brain and different areas are filled with an average number but, in some people, these numbers are significantly higher or lower than they usually should be. Thus, lacking in one area and being amazing in another.

Another interesting thing is that drugs manage to kill and eventually, over time, decrease certain abilities in parts of our brain. I wonder if their are any techniques available in order to increase areas just as easily as it is to destroy them.

Phil.

 

[SpicyDuck]

personally I think you can't have everything.
Your either booksmart, streetsmart or a bit of both but then again you will lack in other areas,
personally I am acadamically above average, have reasonble "real life" skills
but I am totally unable to appreciate or do anything artistic or drama type stuff, I cannot appreciate paintings, dramas, music (I have NO taste in music, I rarely listen to it, I dont really know many, if any bands etc)

Interesting. I, on the other hand, pretty much live in the creative part of my brain. I write music, stories, poems, draw, learn languages etc.

I personally think that when you don't like something, it's just a matter of finding that one thing that kick starts certain areas of the brain. Up until I was 16, I didn't like or have any interest in anything creative and now, it's what makes me who I am.

I have a lot of varying and real life experience as well as being, in my opinion, of average intelligence.

Phil.

 

[SpicyDuck]

Haha, I have no doubt in my mind that it can be incredibly frustrating to live with someone who is gifted in such a way.

They say we use 10% (1%, 15%, whatever) of our brain and so, I'm under the impression that with the right tuition, motivation or sheer will power, we all have that same potential.

It's like when we get angry and our strength suddenly increases by 200% or whatever; it's all relative to the right things happening, in order for our brains to accomplish something which was before, not normal to ourselves or totally beyond our normal acheivements.

If someone were to hold your family and threaten to kill them all if you don't learn Polish in 1 month, well, their is no doubt in my mind that 90% of people here would be fluent in time.

Relativity doesn't just apply to time, it appears to apply to almost everything. Afterall, life is relevant only to the observer. Everything else is just another obstacle or formula we need to work with, around or crack in order to achieve whatever it is that we live for.

Which takes us to; What is the meaning of life?

... but let's not go there!

Phil.

 

[SpicyDuck]

Ohhh, a nice collection of great posts here.

So, in conclusion, I think it's safe to say that the people who work hard, deserve their "gift" and that others are lazy or maybe don't have the time to devote to certain subject areas, like learning a new language.

It's my belief that everyone has the capacity to train their brain in whatever area they wish. Soul Rider, their is no doubt in my mind that if you went out and just simply forced yourself to talk to people, communicate and be open about your thoughts, that'd you'd simply learn to become a lot better at face to face social situations.

The world in which we live in is hectic, and not many people are fortunate enough to develop themselves fully, or simply because of the pressure they put themselves under from the word "Go", by telling themselves "I've never been good at languages, I can't learn Chinese" when, in reality... they really could learn it with no problems.

The placebo effect can work the other way, too. If you believe you can do something, then you can.

Three years ago, I never thought I'd be sitting here learning 5 languages at once whilst also finding it quite easy. As time has gone by it has become a lot easier for me to understand, learn and use different languages.

This will simply be because;

A) I want to
B) I believe I can, and;
C) My brain has grown used to and made more permanent connections in the area of shape recognition (Japanese, for example) and grown used to differences in word order/usage and sentence construction.

For me, the social aspect has always been lacking, but it is something which I've developed and worked around. It's no longer an issue.

Nice conclusion I think, and a very interesting subject if you sit alone for a minute and actually think about it.

Phil.