Who's the smartest person you know?

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Jon Miller


If one don't acheive something, how do you know they are smart (not just bright, but really bright, it isn't something easily measured..).

Nobel Laureate's have almost always (if they are for science, and I am not refering to economics here.. ) done something very impressive, so you can tell they are brilliant (if you understand what they have done).

Jon Miller

Jon Miller

I don't think doing something is the only mark of genius. When it comes to my tutor, he has an amazing breadth of knowledge and his research is very, very impressive. My brother's work is incredibly complex, and part III at Cambridge is so incredibly hard that to pass it is a huge feat in itself, to get a distinction is an amazing achievement. It's probably the hardest maths exams in the world. My other friends is just down to personal judgement. This isn't about the cleverest person in the world, but the cleverest I've met. I've never met someone who's utterly changed the way the world thinks, so people who've added to the world's knowledge, excelled in their chosen field or are just generally very, very smart, would be the people I'd choose for that.

[Jon Miller]

Generally Nobel Lauretes have added more then most to the world's knowledge, and have excelled in their chosen field.

Many have changed the way the world thinks..

Jon Miller
(admittely Bill Phillips was not such a one, I think)

[Jon Miller]

Basically classes don't impress me that much...

Jon Miller
(they use to...)

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Generally Nobel Lauretes have added more then most to the world's knowledge, and have excelled in their chosen field.

Many have changed the way the world thinks..

Jon Miller
(admittely Bill Phillips was not such a one, I think)

I agree completely. But I've never been taught by a Nobel Laureate, so I'm not really in a place to consider them one of the smartest people I've met. I've met a couple briefly, but I don't know enough about them to consider them that amazingly smart.

[Urban Ranger]

It seems a lot of people are confusing "cleverness" with "knowing a large body of knowledge." These two are not the same. Granted, you can't be very stupid and learn a whole lot, particularly across various fields.

For a first approximation I define "cleverness" as "mental agility." That's how such a person recognise and react to some emerging situation.

I probably left out a whole lot in there somewhere.

[_BuRjaCi_]

Simple: Spock

[_BuRjaCi_]

He is clever and a walking textbook.

[Kontiki]

And someone you know?

[_BuRjaCi_]

I doubt anyone here knows any nobel prize winers or even a Mensa member so let's talk about the smartest person we know OF.

And the spock thing was a joke Kontiki

[Dis]

Re: Who's the smartest person you know?

Originally posted by VetLegion
I thought this would be an interesting question for you all.

Please avoid the "I look at him/her in the mirror every morning" joke, all else is kosher.

I guess that would be my brother. I don't know any other smart people (in person). I only associate with average intelligence people (or worse). Not by choice, it's just there aren't very smart people in my city. At least none that want to talk to me.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
It seems a lot of people are confusing "cleverness" with "knowing a large body of knowledge." These two are not the same. Granted, you can't be very stupid and learn a whole lot, particularly across various fields.

For a first approximation I define "cleverness" as "mental agility." That's how such a person recognise and react to some emerging situation.

I probably left out a whole lot in there somewhere.

There are many people on Apolyton who consider themselves "clever" and possess neither definition of the word...

[Last Conformist]

The Garbageman.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by _BuRjaCi_
I doubt anyone here knows any nobel prize winers or even a Mensa member so let's talk about the smartest person we know OF.

A Mensa member?

One of my friends is one of them, and he's the dumbest of the group.

IQ really isn't a good measure of intelligence by any means.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
One of my friends is one of them, and he's the dumbest of the group.

Somehow I doubt that.

[mrmitchell]

MichaeltheGreat
molly bloom