Originally posted by Jackson
Seems strange that there are quite a few young kids with an exceptional grasp on maths/physics...and not other subjects.
It is odd, yes. "Math prodigy" is a common phrase, and also "musical prodigy," but I have never even seen "language prodigy" (for example) written out before, much less read about one in the news.
dj_alfi
quote:
Originally posted by gmilf
go back to NAMBLA
North American Marlon Brando Look-Alikes?
gmilf
exactly, damn Brando's... And I've met a few people insanely good at languages, as in they can go into a bar in any country and figure out how to converse by the 3rd beer. If I could be any type of genius this is the type I would choose. I'm envious of Banora even, she's quite good at picking up languages and that's an area I've always struggled with. What is the difference between a prodigy and a genius, does a prodigy just require no training, like an innate ability to solve the mysteries of the universe or belt out some opera instead of crying
MrJiveBoJingles
Prodigies show amazing skill very young. "Genius" is a more generic term for someone who shows amazing skill at any age.
Adam420
quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
It is odd, yes. "Math prodigy" is a common phrase, and also "musical prodigy," but I have never even seen "language prodigy" (for example) written out before, much less read about one in the news.
I have
MrJiveBoJingles
Neat.
EgosXII
quote:
Originally posted by Jackson
Seems strange that there are quite a few young kids with an exceptional grasp on maths/physics...and not other subjects.
I think its because they don't require wisdom.
Most areas of study require... study: Time, experience etc.
Things like math don't require any previous knowledge, same with physics, its logical, and its built on its own system, as opposed to all humanities for example, or most sciences which are built more on their tradition than anything else.
quote:
Originally posted by gmilf
There was a 12 year old in my undergraduate physics course at Purdue and for most tests the average was around 40% with one person scoring 100%. We all knew it was him, and we all felt like dumbasses. :p Anyways, that's really cool the kid was lucky that his mother took the initiative to contact Princeton. I was teaching a first grader who was absolutely brilliant, he picked up Japanese by watching hello kitty in a couple of weeks, could draw anything in perfect 3-d, but his main teacher and parents were too stupid to even realize what he was doing was exceptional. I'm still trying to get one of his parents to pick up the phone so that I can schedule him for an IQ test and get him into an accelerated program.
that's nuts. It is very interesting to think about all the people who don't get recognised and their 'potential' absolutely squandered
EgosXII
quote:
Originally posted by gmilf
What is the difference between a prodigy and a genius, does a prodigy just require no training, like an innate ability to solve the mysteries of the universe or belt out some opera instead of crying
technically genius is defined as an exceptional skill in one area. That's why people like einstein was good at one thing, and pretty much at everything else: Apprently had little to no interpersonal skills, or common sense etc, and that goes for most geniuses...
I think intelligence always has a seed-like quality, its genetically there, but it depends how much care you give it whether or not it will fully flourish: Some people are born with the seeds for a tomato plant, and some are born with seeds of a MIGHTY OAK!!!
at the end of the day though, most of the time it comes down to environment, whether or not that potential will ever come out fully or not...
Domesticated
quote:
Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles
It is odd, yes. "Math prodigy" is a common phrase, and also "musical prodigy," but I have never even seen "language prodigy" (for example) written out before, much less read about one in the news.
I think the reason is because people don't perceive language skills as being useful in the wider sense. A 12 year old doing maths could potentially solve some huge scientific problem and change the world. A 12 year old who speaks 10 languages fluently could not. As Adam said, I have seen a languages person on TV though. In two weeks, he is able to become fluent in any language, and was in the process of making up his own perfect one. I think he spoke about ten or fifteen? would I love that skill; it basically guarantees you entry into any culture you want, something which is otherwise next to impossible.
These things are as much a curse as anything, though. Prodigies usually aren't endowed with great social skills, or if they are, they're ostracised by their peers anyway. I often think about this subject (aspergers, super smart people), and wonder several things.
Are humans on the cusp of some great leap in evolution, or perhaps at the very beginning of a long, slow process? Apart from the Flynn effect (link), I do believe we're getting smarter with each generation.
What would the world be like if every person could speak ten languages or memorise whole books?
Why are only some people born with this? Why does nature intentionally hold the rest of us back?
Why did god have to be such a wanker and let me be born without music/colour synesthesia?
I'll just put this here, too.
edit: . That tiny post took me like 20 minutes to type. you, hangover. .
EgosXII
quote:
Originally posted by Domesticated
I think the reason is because people don't perceive language skills as being useful in the wider sense. A 12 year old doing maths could potentially solve some huge scientific problem and change the world. A 12 year old who speaks 10 languages fluently could not. As Adam said, I have seen a languages person on TV though. In two weeks, he is able to become fluent in any language, and was in the process of making up his own perfect one. I think he spoke about ten or fifteen? would I love that skill; it basically guarantees you entry into any culture you want, something which is otherwise next to impossible.
These things are as much a curse as anything, though. Prodigies usually aren't endowed with great social skills, or if they are, they're ostracised by their peers anyway. I often think about this subject (aspergers, super smart people), and wonder several things.
Are humans on the cusp of some great leap in evolution, or perhaps at the very beginning of a long, slow process? Apart from the Flynn effect (link), I do believe we're getting smarter with each generation.
What would the world be like if every person could speak ten languages or memorise whole books?
Why are only some people born with this? Why does nature intentionally hold the rest of us back?
Why did god have to be such a wanker and let me be born without music/colour synesthesia?
I'll just put this here, too.
edit: . That tiny post took me like 20 minutes to type. you, hangover. .
People are getting generationally smarter, but I don't think we'll ever all be geniuses, especially since it is itself a relative term, like 'idiot'. A stupid person now is probably a genius compared to peasants in the middle ages sure, but intelligence isn't finite, it's a loose, culturally specific term; even in the above example, modern man is a genius only in specific ways (those valued by our society), the middle ages man would no doubt be heavily superior in other areas (farming, surviving illness, common sense?)...
the nature/god choosing people to be smart thing is 1: insanely narcissistic, and 2: paranoid. Its just 'luck' that some people are born with a disposition and good family environment if it gets nurtured enough to come out in a practical way- genius is as much about working hard as being 'chosen'-
either way, as you said, genius isn't necessarily a 'good' thing as a whole. Geniuses are generally depressed, isolated (large suicide rates in genius level IQs) and unable to live a 'normal' life in many ways, because (as i said above) they usually have ONE area of expertise, causing large deficiencies in others (social skills, language etc)
My girlfriend has said I'm a social retard many times. Its nice being smarter than most people sometimes, but most times it does make basic interaction annoying much of the time :p We're not always working, always in intellectual conversation- genius intelligence makes those times easier, but they don't make up the majority of our lives. I'm not claiming to be a genius, but I can imagine what it would be like if a person was at that level- it would be horribly lonely... Geniuses can be ostracised as you said, but beyond that, it can simply be hard, or impossible to find anyone who can talk to you on your own level. Imagine trying to communicate ideas nobody around you can understand... Its not fun.
anyway, its all relative- geniuses take things for granted you wish you could have, but geniuses wish they could have what you take for granted. Depends what you value i suppose :)
also: that video is amazing, seen it a few times, and never ceases to amaze! :eyes:
Lira
quote:
Originally posted by Jackson
Seems strange that there are quite a few young kids with an exceptional grasp on maths/physics...and not other subjects.
It's because most of the time we couldn't care less about the other subjects. Blame our culture for that.
Newton and Einstein are bloody famous. Durkheim and Max Weber, not so much. Ferdinand de Saussure is virtually unknown outside academia, and Chomsky is known just because of his political writings. Being a polyglot grants you even less recognition...
Boomer187
quote:
Originally posted by Lira
Durkheim and Max Weber, not so much. Ferdinand de Saussure is virtually unknown outside academia, and Chomsky is known just because of his political writings. Being a polyglot grants you even less recognition...
