Posted by:
ificouldhietokolob
(
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Date: January 10, 2016 12:07PM
I've semi-ranted about this topic on here before, when certain posters insisted that 90%+ of the world's population were too stupid to understand science (because of their "average" or below IQ scores). A contention that is nothing short of absurd.
I've worked with hundreds of kids whose IQ test scores were below 100, some well below (in the 60's). Though these kids can and do have a hard time with some kinds of "traditional" learning and subjects, many if not most of them are "geniuses" in certain areas, and far more able to learn than most give them credit for -- they usually just need an approach to learning tailored to their own strengths and weaknesses.
And as others have pointed out, I've worked with supposed "super-genius" IQ scorers who were essentially worthless as human beings in a social world, accomplishing little, adding nothing to our shared experiences.
My own IQ score is fairly high. Doesn't matter. I pooh-pooh IQ scores in general, although the tests are somewhat useful as a base for some learning abilities, but not as an overall measure of either "intelligence" or learning ability.
Our societies have a longstanding wish to be able to very simply categorize *everything,* including scores of limited little boxes we'd like to put humans into. On the surface it appears to simplify things, to let us make quick judgments about other humans, and move on. Dig down, though, and it's not at all reasonable, it can cause a great deal of harm to those who deviate slightly (or even greatly) from the norm, and it quashes individuality, creativity, and personal motivation to learn about the world. In that sense, our tendency to want such simple classifications is reflected in mormonism, which loves to label people "faithful/worthy" or "sinners/unworthy," and never address the reasons, the huge variability in human belief and thought, and which quashes individuality and creativity.
So, pardon the language, but...fuck IQ scores. Despite their limited usefulness, using them to stick humans in little pre-defined boxes, and not let them out, is far too simple and misguided. Give me an hour with anyone, no matter what their IQ score is, and I can tell you far more about their intelligence, what they can and can't do, and what their "potential" is, than the best IQ test in existence.