my name is jasmine, i’m 20 and a student at the university of toronto. i hope to find some decent discussion for once. it’s nice to have a kind of haven of logic in a world very bent on touchy-feely discussion of facts.
i’m currently re-reading atlas shrugged for the millionth time, and it’s interesting to see how my views on the book have changed over time.
i’m also curious as to how many objectivists here are members of mensa or other high-intelligence societies. are intelligent people more likely to be drawn to objectivism?
i’m also curious as to how many objectivists here are members of mensa or other high-intelligence societies. are intelligent people more likely to be drawn to objectivism?
anyway, hello.
I was a member of Mensa for a year. What a waste of money.
I think Objectivism is a matter of honesty and consistency rather than intelligence.
Not many people think consistently enough to see their ideas all the way through.
I think Objectivism is a matter of honesty and consistency rather than intelligence.
And how! Intelligence is a great gift but the power that consistent principles bring to thought far exceeds that of the genius intellect. I speak from my own experience as a 3.0 GPA student prior to discovering Objectivism. After taking a break for a couple of years and returning to school with my new philosophy, I found it easy to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I’m no genius of intellect but by thinking in principles I was able to at least feign one.
Most importantly, the criticality of principles is most evident in the “tortured genius” that can comprehend profound knowledge but is miserable and unhappy in life. Meanwhile, the principled man of average intelligence has attained a consistent and unshakeable happiness in his life because he thinks and acts on principles. E = mc^2 is meaningless when you look at it that way…
In the last few days there are Mensa posters all over the campus here. Wouldn’t be worth it to try, just so I can show my MENSA card around?
What are the services they offer, anyway?
Intelligence is definitely not the crucial element in a man’s life, as long as it’s not problematically bellow average. I’ve known many geniuses that lived miserable lives, and did not achieve anything comparable to what an honest average man can achieve.
In the last few days there are Mensa posters all over the campus here. Wouldn’t be worth it to try, just so I can show my MENSA card around?
What are the services they offer, anyway?
Intelligence is definitely not the crucial element in a man’s life, as long as it’s not problematically bellow average. I’ve known many geniuses that lived miserable lives, and did not achieve anything comparable to what an honest average man can achieve.
i joined mensa when i was 16 due to a teacher setting me up to it, and i didn’t renew my membership because it wasn’t doing anything for me. i met people through mensa, but not through going out to the group parties - when people who lived near me had questions, they’d contact my email address through the webpage. i wouldn’t advocate joining, unless you want to pad your c.v. or for bragging rights. i don’t think the organization is really keeping to the lofty objectives it had started with!
and thanks for the interesting perspectives on intelligence & objectivism!
i don’t think the organization is really keeping to the lofty objectives it had started with!
Did a quick search on Mensa and found several old threads. Had to comment on the above thought.
I was told that Mensa was founded early in the 20th century at Oxford by a pair of young scholars. Their lofty objective was to meet a class of young women with whom they could enjoy intelligent conversation after enjoying less cerebral activities. The club was successful enough to attract a succession of young men and women for some years. When England entered WWII, a former member remembered the club and called together as many other former members as he could find and formed a think tank to help solve some of the problems that England faced in fighting the war. The club was legitimized and became the international organization it is today.
It’s ironic, but in my case it is thanks to Mensa that I heard about Ayn Rand. Someone wrote a brief letter to their magazine outlining the philosophy, I went to look in the bookstore, and voila! There was For The New Intellectual and a few others. I bought FTNI and obviously didn’t stop there.
