Dear David f,

Foxy did not write the reference to Napoleon - Ludwig did.

But Thanks for thinking of me...

I respect your interpretation of intelligence david f. But mine is quite different.

I wonder what the true correlation is between great discoveries / innovations and high intelligence?

Probably pretty small. Most great leaps forward would be due to people who certainly have a high aptitude in the particular subject, but who are working on just the right aspect in the right place at the right time and are fortunate enough to have the necessary equipment, budget and colleagues to enable them to win a significant advancement.

There are probably many many people of similar intelligence plugging away at similar things that just don’t get that lucky break. And many more who don’t ever apply themselves to tasks that could ever win them such recognition.

In fact, maybe the most intelligent of us all are those that basically just let the world go by and concentrate on maximising their health, wellbeing and overall quality of life, and that of their loved-ones….

….or who fight endlessly year after year for an end to the absurdity of continuous human expansion and the development of truly sustainable societies that are in balance with natural systems!

Ludwig wrote:

"I wonder what the true correlation is between great discoveries / innovations and high intelligence?"

That is a reasonable wonder. How do we determine high intelligence in the first place? It is not the same as creativity. The only measurable criterion we have the ability to do well on intelligence tests. Since intelligence tests are culture specific for one thing and designed to measure a number of attributes which are defined to comprise intelligence on the other they are an uncertain measure. My question should have specified creativity rather than intelligence. I am 82 and have scored very high on intelligence tests. I was bemoaning the fact that I have accomplished little with that intelligence. My wife said, "You have made yourself comfortable." Is that an achievement?

I think one indication of intelligence is the ability to doubt and question. I read that Einstein as a child could not accept the stories in the Bible as true. That to me is a sign of intelligence.

What is with ALL THE WIERD !@#$ING !@#$ ON THIS FORUM? ? ? Is this to be atypical of Australia? A bunch of whacky nutheads and controlling bigots (gleaming exceptions not included of course)? Seriously! It seems as though this forum, if it were to be a representation of Australia, that it would seem part of Australia has been inflicted with a debilitating mental illness. I mean, davidf HAS to be joking here, right? Right?!?

I mean, I agree with the premise about dangerous power in the hands of inferior fools, but how can you suggest it would have been better had they not existed? I mean how about concluding it may be better has they not existed rather than say, removing bigotry and religion (which is the sole true antagonist of science and discovery when you look at it closely enough), removing that from politics instead? The prbolem isn't great intelligence, it's the millions of people like you and me who foolishy presume that we know better or should dictate laws and command upon others.

Steel wrote:

"I mean how about concluding it may be better has they not existed rather than say, removing bigotry and religion (which is the sole true antagonist of science and discovery when you look at it closely enough), removing that from politics instead?"

If we remove bigotry and religion we also would be removing some extremely intelligent people.

Isaac Newton was a religious nut in addition to having magnificent insights into the movements of the cosmos, the nature of light and inventing the calculus.

St. Augustine was a neurotic bigot who created great misery by his doctrine of original sin and his hatred of those who didn't share his beliefs. However, in his Confessions he had sublime insights into the nature of Time and Space.

I agree with you about the harmful effects of bigotry and religion but some extremely intelligent minds can contain and promulgate that nonsense.