Chris Langan is the World’s Smartest Man. That’s not an opinion, it’s a statement of fact. Mr. Langan’s IQ is nearly 200. Oh, and he’s spent 20 years being a bouncer at a bar.
This guy has had a rough life. As a kid he was abused by other kids and even his step father because he was smarter than all of them were. And if you listen to this entire interview with him you’ll see why he’s kind of pessimistic.
In reality, it’s pretty easy to see why he’s this way. In addition to the fact that he’s been brutalized all his life, during the interview he points out:
“Smart people are vastly outnumbered by average people. Its the nature of the bell curve.”
Here’s another way to think about this. Think about how much smarter you are than a really, really mentally retarded person.
An average person’s IQ is about 100, and that really retarded person is maybe 65 for a measly 35 point difference. Well, the deficit between Chris and the average person is nearly 300% greater! Heck, the difference between him and a genius is as great as the difference between a genius and a retarded person!
Now, imagine if you were that much smarter than every single living person around! Actually, don’t bother. Your puny brain probably doesn’t have the capacity to imagine that… Damn. I guess I’d be bitter too. It reminds me of the movie Idiocracy.
Anyway, having said all that, one problem I’ve noticed with extremely smart people is that they begin thinking that their one brain is actually more powerful than all the other brains around them combined. And Chris falls into this trap during the final video when he begins espousing the virtues of placing genetic controls on “human breeding”.
Chris Langan:
People who wanted to have children would apply to make sure they have no diseases. Why do we have to do it through genetic engineering? Well, we have to let only the fit breed…. Freedom is not necessarily a right. It is a privilege that you have to earn. A lot of people abuse their freedom and that is something that people have to be trained not to do.
Interviewer:
But who? Who does this training?
Chris Langan:
Well, I’d be perfectly willing to do it myself. Just put me in charge.”
Yikes! Pretty scary stuff. Sounds like the precursor to Nazi Germany, or something from a Borg episode of Star Trek.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
If you actually watched all the parts of this, did you come out wondering how someone who scores so high on tests that measure problem solving ability could score so low on ability to relate to humanity in general? Could it be that individuals with brains that are highly specialized in one area simply become deficient in another?
Because really, I may be a mental midget when it comes to quickly calculating squares and dots on an IQ test compared to Mr Langan, but I could teach him volumes about how to relate to society. It seems to me that his attitude is that since he is “smarter”, his opinions should simply be accepted. But frankly, I don’t believe he is actually capable of comprehending anything that I cannot. He may arrive at a conclusion quicker, but this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t need to bring the rest of us along with him.
Oh, one last thing. Chris penned what he calls the Cognitive Theoretic Model of the Universe in 2001, subtitled “The Theory of Theories.” Man, I really wish he’d read my article about conservation of words. I skimmed through the whole thing and frankly I’ve never seen so many words used to end in no point whatsoever!
Official retraction (the first one ever! Yeah!)Due to some poor search results, coupled with poor research, and compounded by poor Web design, I originally incorrectly linked to Mr. Langan’s Theory of Theories. Seeing how this was in no way related to a model of the universe I figured it was crap! However, the real CTMU can be found here. So have fun.
Anyway, feel free to check it out you feeble minded little humans!
Scary stuff…
The picture of him here looks kind of goofy as well.
Kim:)
I’m not a quoting kind of guy, but one Ralph Waldo Emerson quote that always struck me was:
“Every man I meet is in some way my superior.”
And it’s so true.. Sure you may be smarter, your mind may be more genetically superior based on some silly IQ merit test, but every man has relative wisdom we may never grasp or understand. From a lowly janitor or garbage man to the genetic physicist…
Humility is good shtuff :)
I’ve always said that there is a trend in that smart people tend to lack common sense and street sense. I’ve said that for many years after watching many very smart people lack in average common sense.
Maybe it’s time I wrote an article… “The Theory of the Lack of Common Sense in those with Theories about Theory”. :D
Something my Dad said to me when I was little has stuck with me. I know it’s not his original statement, not sure where it come from but…
I am not buying that he’s over 140 IQ. I’ve been around miserable Mensas. I’ve been around those that got a perfect score on graduate school entrance exams and guys who got a perfect grade point averages in a school that boasts one third of those entering were high school valedictorians and virtually everyone was top 10% (hey some of us were very technical and had our GPAs dragged down by the random memory classes like World History and Civics). This guys thoughts and vocabulary don’t indicate that he’s mensa material. I am sure he could have worked his way out of bouncing on Long Island by doing some card counting down in a casino in Atlantic City, when they caught on to him, he could have revamped their security and cheat catching algorithms. I’d put him around 138. :D
http://megafoundation.org/CTMU/Articles/Langan_CTMU_092902.pdf
That’s the real CTMU, you linked to a theory about theories, not the CTMU, try to link things properly when you’re going to bash them.
I think you’ve already explained the reason he is like that. Imagine you lived in a society where 99% of people where mentally retarded. To you society would be incapable of making decisions by themselves. You would want to make them instead.
I am smarter than everyone … give me all your toys :) Anyway, yeah, IQ = major social development problems and other things that will cripple them when it comes to the ‘real world’ … that’s nature’s great equalizer I guess.
I don’t understand why all of you feel the need to ostracize this man and engage in a circle-jerk about how having a high IQ means you can’t relate to the rest of society. Sure, he may have some crazy ideas, but just because they don’t coincide with what (American) society deems “politically correct” there’s no need to claim that he lacks common sense or humanity. So he doesn’t blindly parrot what society tells him is acceptable and right: that everyone has equal abilities. Good for him.
Like it or not, the people who engineer our technologies, cure our diseases, and generally contribute to the development of mankind tend to have high IQs. If it weren’t for those types of people we would still be sitting in caves picking bugs out of each other’s fur. It’s the engineer, the scientist, the doctor who advances our standard of living and society, not somebody with an average IQ who can get all touchy-feely and connect with other people’s “emotions”. I suggest that those people stop giving lessons about equality and humanity and get me my order of fries and a Coke.
The sad thing about this person’s story is that everyone else was too ignorant to realize his potential. If the teachers in his high school and college allowed him to develop his interests, today we might be reading about his latest research in quantum physics or using his products instead of listening to the bitter rants of a bouncer. No wonder he’s bitter, it seems to me that he was marginalized by an educational system full of average people blinded to his strong intellect.
You know …. I think I am a useful guy and I have some utility and I want to do the best I can for myself… However, others can and will do better than I in many fields…. I am not going to use EVERYBODY is good at something BS… some people are just going to be better at useful things than I am … I can admit it …. why can’t other people! I think his is logical and correct and shows humility to the greatest extent someone that smart can … he even states that there could be others smarter than him …. he just has not met them… I think some people need to face reality and stop living in the “everybody is special in their own way” BABY WORLD.