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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Win Smith who wrote (179777)	1/20/2012 9:55:13 PM
From: Cogito	Respond to of 542010

>>Being an inveterate googler , I had to look it up. 140 is actually above the 99.5 th percentile, so 60 million worldwide is a little high even, seehttp://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/IQtable.aspx . Not that that's really relevant , I don't think IQ-style intelligence is the limiting factor in US or world political leadership. Systemic institutional problems aren't that susceptible to great mind breakthroughs, as near as I can tell.<< No, raw intelligence isn't necessarily a predictor of success in politics or anything else. Witness my own life. I think perseverance is far more important. I am just very surprised there are so few of us. I've known quite a few people who I'm sure were much smarter than I.

To: Win Smith who wrote (179777)	1/21/2012 12:17:09 PM
From: Mary Cluney	Respond to of 542010

<<<I don't think IQ-style intelligence is the limiting factor in US or world political leadership. Systemic institutional problems aren't that susceptible to great mind breakthroughs, as near as I can tell.>>> Without a relatively high IQ (eg 140 and above) limits people from grasping (or having a deep understanding) of complex subjects eg, math, chemistry, physics, philosophy, economics, and/or a real understanding of the human condition. Someone like a Ronald Reagan would never be able to get past in the near future an undergraduate course in philosophy, economics, and the physical sciences from a decent college. That does not mean he can not be a good and compassionate human being. It just means that we should select our leaders who not only have high IQ's but have the desire to be educated and a burning desire to help create a better world for everyone. An high IQ in my mind is only one of the prerequisites before that person can become someone that we might want to listen to on how the world should be managed. The world is getting much more competitive. The genie is out of the bottle. There is no turning back. People lacking intellect will have to creatively find other ways to become useful human beings. There is nothing wrong with being a grade B actor, a great chef, and thousands of other occupations. There is no shame in that. But it is a shame to stretch to untenable pretensions and spout looney thoughts.