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!
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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.
Hmmm. Well, I’m not speaking for everyone else here, but I think in the article I outlined some areas where I sympathize with Mr. Langan. I agree with you that he got a very raw deal as a kid. But you know what, a lot of people had rough childhoods. So, its one of those things… you get an excuse for NOT overcoming it, but you don’t get credit for overcoming it.
Likewise with being intelligent. Having mental horsepower is great. But it’s not an excuse to be a dick. I don’t care who you are, or if you are the smartest man who ever lived. The moment you start saying things like “freedom is not a right”, and espousing the virtues of genetic engineering of the population at large you can expect me to call you out. (Watch the Bobby Fischer video over here for a prime example.)
No amount of IQ can make that right. There is no logic that can support these statements. Humans by their very nature are free. They should be allowed to pursue their own happiness. And despite what anyone thinks you don’t need to be brilliant, wealthy, or wise to be happy.
John P.
Having a good memory is NOT related to IQ.
Most people miss the point where: If you have a massive IQ, do you really think that person is going to find anything an average person has to say “interesting”? The general idiocy of the common person is what turns great minds away from the masses. This is why some people should cherish being “ignorant”.
Disclaimer: I’m biased because I allegedly have IQ up in the mid-150′s (hey, it’s been a few years!), and I can relate to a lot of the “scary” stuff Chris Langan speaks of like eugenic population control (god, I wish!).
Anyway, I think your one statement sums it up: if you’re capable of “comprehending” everything a genius can, then how could you not be a genius too ? Where’s your rocket ship ? Where’s your quantum computer ? What is Pi to the 83rd power ? The truth is, intellect goes far beyond complex math and world domination fantasies, it’s the unique ability to grasp grander concepts than the average human. Einstein is not just ‘E=mc2′, there was a process to reach that conclusion, one that we still don’t fully understand almost a century after its inception. That’s what genius is: the ability to push the limits of reality a teeny bit further each time. Brilliant chess players are mesmerizing to watch as they out-think even computers. Brilliant engineers come up with out-of-nowhere solutions to enduring problems.
The dreaded bell curve is the very reason humankind will never achieve enlightenment. The average will always mob over the genius, and the retarded will eventually become the new average. Ignorance is bliss, they say; well I can tell you that being smart can be a curse!
A point of inaccuracy in this article is that someone with an IQ of 3x is not 3 times as smart as someone with an IQ of x. IQ is ordinal data that is ranked by standard deviations, the difference between scores does not tell us much.
This is an excellent point Brian. And it also reinforces why it is so silly when people who happen to score higher on an IQ test adopt a major holier-than-thou complex!
John
Hmmm. Well, I never claimed to be – or not to be one. :-)
However, I’m surprised by the number of people who worship the genius factor here – though I guess I shouldn’t be. Its a very appealing thought to imagine oneself as a generally superior human being. It’s like winning a trophy without actually having to compete. As a result, a lot of people want to self-actualize with the concept of being abnormally special. Heck, it’s sexy… it’s seductive… I’ll take one!
The problem is, every ounce of human potential is as worthless as a glass of salt water to a man in the desert. The ONLY thing that matters is what happens when the potential is converted to action.
It is a not just a fallacy, but a downright lie to claim that the advances of humanity come from the thoughts of geniuses. They do not. The vast majority come from people who are more or less average, but are committed enough to fulfill a vision.
John
I understand where Chris is coming from. I am not ready to allow humans to select who can or cannot reproduce, but I do understand we are changing the course or our own evolution by allowing “defective” material to survive in our genetic codebase. However, I also believe the compassion possessed by most humans, outweighs the brutality of pure natural selection.
Basically, the guy is very intelligent and I would love to have an opportunity to have a discussion with him.
It seems to me that people are very quick to attack the man because of a handful of logical, though unflattering, ideas about humanity as a whole.
I can’t claim to have an IQ anywhere near his, but my experiences growing up and as an adult are similar to his. He is right that unless we as a species make an active decision about what kind of humanity we want for our descendants, we will get the default, which is mediocrity setting the standards and discouraging those with greater mental gifts.
There are many kinds of intelligence, and many kinds of genius. The issue that he is addressing with eugenics/anti-disengenics is something that as a species we will simply have to address at some point in the centuries ahead, and unless some kind of cultural structure is in place to encourage the development of the species higher gifts, we and all of our descendants will be as limited as we are today.
How moral is it to disregard methods we could put in place now over moral qualms that would dramatically change the future of the species as a whole? I’m of the mind, as a citizen and a proud parent, that meaning is best found in leaving the world better than we found it when we were born. Just because some particularly evil bastards thought it was a good idea in the 30′s and 40′s doesn’t reflect on the merits of the concept, anymore than their political leanings condemn a cheap car for the people.
If our culture at this time finds this unacceptable, at some point in the future another society in our place will decide to move forward with policies of directed procreation. In the grand scheme of things, one century or another is a blink of the evolutionary eye. As long as directed breeding programs are not racially based and not so stringent as to limit variety in the gene pool, and in doing so decreasing the species ability to evolve, I don’t see anything immoral in the proposal.
I think Mr. Langan was being honest and also slightly facetious when he said that he would be willing to run such a program. Who runs it doesn’t matter, so long as logical principles guide the policy and checks and balances are in place to keep things fair and to minimize any abuse.
The vast majority of people would not want a chimpanzee to be their surgeon.
This does not mean that we don’t like chimps. They can be cute. They can be friendly. But ultimately, they’re not qualified to use such a tool. Giving them a scalpel makes them a danger to themselves and others.
Unfortunately, that’s what scientists and engineers have done by giving advanced technology to politicians.
I dont think that their IQ is what causes the social development problems though, I think its more a lack of people of similar intelligence, personality, and interests that do.
I’m so sick of hearing the blanket “everyone with a high IQ has social problems” rubbish.
I was with you all the way up until your last paragraph – “There is no logic that can support these statements”. You must be uber smart if you have already assessed that it would be impossible to make a resonable argument for this blokes point of view. In regards to freedom, I agree with what he is trying to say (in my opinion) but not with how he says it. Creating a ‘free’ world is not easy. I doubt you or I would feel ‘free’ in a world of anarchy?
I think everyone should be allowed the reproduce, but in Australia at least it is often the ‘less successful’ who reproduce the most. Thats what needs to change in my opinion. Everyone gets a shot and making someone new – but we should be taking more changes with the successful DNA than the unsuccessful stuff.
that guy is a f-ing douche bag-what i fascist narcissist. IQ tests aren’t everything. It can not determine what completely goes on inside your head.
John P., Youtube says the videos are no longer available.
Ugly American,
about “that’s what scientists and engineers have done by giving advanced technology to politicians”, the example you gave before proves that the danger is not in the tools themselves, but in who uses it. Therefore scientists, as those that develop tools (technologies = tools), are not responsible for the danger their tools might represent, specially because they don’t “give” these tools to anyone, they publish them as their duty and as it might be useful for good purposes. The use of these technologies is society’s and politicians’ responsibility.
when i’m at highschool my IQ test is 120, after 4 years being cigarrete lover in college, now I test it’s 90?? OMG..
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