The Sad Tale of William James Sidis - The Smartest Man Who Ever Lived | Random Thursday

What were you doing at age 6? William James Sidis was writing books in 7 different languages. Once a nationally known child prodigy, William Sidis disappeared and lived a life of obscurity. What happened to the smartest man who ever lived?
Special thanks to Jason at JTheory for his help writing this video!
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[@barbaras6792]

My cousin was classified as ‘highly intelligent’. His parents tried to push him too far. He rebelled and ended up working as a bakery assistant. He was happier, too. It was like he put his mind in a sling, like a broken arm and let it rest.

[@michaelhawk-fitz7563]

@Erkinus and now here you are belittling him from your high horse..

[@michaelhawk-fitz7563]

if you're smart you just have more work thrown your way..dumb people get away with basically dong nothing..

[@jaredjones1752]

Though I'm not intelligent by any measure, I can relate to your cousin. I have a Bachelor's degree in Math, yet I think I would be happiest working as a short-order cook in a fancy restaurant. I love when people I cook for at home enjoy the food I made for them and I like coming up with creative twists to old recipes. I wish I could go back in time and resist the pressure my parents put on me to go to college, and go to cooking school instead. College was the most unhappy time of my life.

[@FS-me8mj]

could have done great things to help humanity if his parents didn't pressurize him

[@L.K.48]

@@FS-me8mj but it's exactly that thought that puts pressure on those people. Most of the time it doesn't matter too much if someone actively puts pressure on them. Them knowing that other people perceive their heightened potential and the possibilities and expectations that automatically go with this is enough to drive people insane, even if no one is actually pushing them to achieve great things. It's like building the best super computer that ever existed and then telling it that it's the most competent ever and therefore should try to solve all of the biggest problems known to mankind as fast as possible. If computers were anything like people that computer's processor would generate enough heat to compete with the sun. Weird comparison, I know. I guess you get what I mean.

[@mattbritzius570]

You can't declare his life a failure unless you can prove he didn't enjoy it.

[@TheFamousMockingbird]

Even if he didn't enjoy it, the stuff he did mention is that of an unbelievably successful man. Lecturing at ivy league as a child, getting swaths of books on a amazingly broad amount of subjects. Having the government fear you for leading a protest lm beat js essentially the backbone of the society. He seems to have been quite successful. If he views this as unsuccessful then I can't imagine how he views his own life, because having a KZbin channel with a good amount of subscribers does not even come close.

[@janchovanec8624]

The trouble is, one can enjoy doing bad things. So who and how do you measure it? What if I would find joy in destroying mankind?

[@mattbritzius570]

@@janchovanec8624No need to get too relativistic in this instance. I wasn't saying his life was a success only on the condition he enjoyed it.

[@macmcleod1188]

@@mattbritzius570 It also leads to the situation where there is no standard for a successful life. So then you lose the ability to make any statement about how successful someone's life is. Which is really ludicrous. Perhaps with more qualifications: "By societies standards of wealth, status, sexual satisfaction, reproduction, and fame- he lead a "successful"/"unsuccessful" life." Whether he felt his life was successful doesn't matter by that standard. Some mass shooters may feel they lead a successful life as they are successfully murdering a dozen people. Most of us would disagree.

[@mattbritzius570]

@@macmcleod1188 Why should we have the ability to make any statement about how successful someone's life was? Who determines failure or success? Suppose there is a serial killer who really enjoys killing truck drivers. It gives him more pleasure than anything in the world. His reward center just lights up like a Christmas tree. And he gets away with it too. He kills around 30 dudes, retires, and fondly reminisces about his conquests. Then he dies peacefully of old age. Was his life a success? It doesn't seem like one to you or me, because murder is incongruous with our sensibilities. But who issues the final word? Is it "common sense?" Which is to say some collective sense derived from the subjective sentiment of the species. Or is it objective? And if so, by what mechanism is the quality of someone's life objectively determined?

[@yourHandleShouldBeAtLeast3...]

Haha they clearly never met the KZbin comment section filled with the smartest people who are never wrong.

[@yonibennett6201]

😆🤣😂😅😁😅🤣😂

[@SJ-cl4wq]

KZbin comments section may have geniuses,don't discard any thing so lightly.

[@isthatujeebus]

@@SJ-cl4wq They tend to hide it so well though.

[@maestropyro927]

Sir, this is one of the best comments EVER in KZbin. Thank you

[@elimanning7257]

Wow your a genius

[@phil4986]

William Sidis did not fail. As he constructed his revelations, he made sure he cataloged them in books and published them. William had an understanding that access to the information was more important than credit. It would be a fascinating project to track down all his books and especially any of his dissertations about fourth dimension theory he lectured on while in college.

[@swiftycortex]

Sure would

[@cringevidshub3767]

Regardless of what anyone says about him wasting potential he was a very peculiar person who only appeals to very peculiar people, and he made his name known among those people

[@mdtalhaansari1096]

"What went wrong?" Oh, I don't know, maybe that his parents turned him into a living circus at the age of 5 or 6, that he got exposed to crowds far too young? You know how crowds can be... You have seen youtube comments, right?

[@laguanhayes214]

That is very, very insightful. The comment section is sometimes as uplifting as what you see in a toilet bowl.

[@AngelCruz-kg5uw]

Unlikely

[@AngelCruz-kg5uw]

Answer

[@AngelCruz-kg5uw]

Is it only I who hates these specficers?

[@alexcerullo3143]

Angel Cruz me too they’re so annoying

[@johnb2649]

“Talent is usually envied, whereas genius very often to be pitied.:” Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr

[@rustyboi5402]

•_•

[@b3at2]

The smartest man on earth stated that the problem with the world is religion and capitalism.... It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out but him being so just further confirms it... and this was 1910 not 2020z

[@rustyboi5402]

@@b3at2 •_•

[@locohobo1925]

Talent hits the target no one else can hit; genius hits the target no one else can see. - Schopenhauer

[@Cuplex1]

Nah, yes its not uncommon to come with the side effects in the form of mental disorders. But what if you had a truly perfect mind, far beyond what we think of is possible for a human to develop? But it did, where he had plenty of time to spend time with the usual geniuses, like Einstein when the both lived in the institute of advanced studies in Princeton. And long before being a part of the Manhattan Project and further more the thermonuclear bomb. There are countless stories of whom these extraordinary scientists for one couldnt understand how Von Neumann could be an expert in so many fields and with a perfect recall. Like rain man but better. Everything he skimmed through he would only need to read once. After he could literally retell the entire book exactly correct and answer which page a section of text was taken from given it was unique. He would spend a few minutes to relax and for fun and memorize phone books and then challenge anyone for the name and address of a phone number, reverse which phone numbers correlated to zip codes and names etc. His list of contributions to the world is beyond staggering. The list of prizes and medals is amazing considering he died from today treatable cancer in the prostate. Even at the age of 6 he had taught himself to divide two eight-digit numbers in his head and could converse in Ancient Greek. He basically accelerated science generations in his lifetime. Developing ground breaking fields in mathematics, logic, physics puh just about everything. Even economics. Which are the foundation of the computer revolution. He was surrounded by the most brilliant people who lived in the 20th century, yet so many accounts remain of very famous scientist's amazement of his mind and how far ahead of any human known he was in any subject basically. A true polymath. A small quote from wiki. Just a fraction... Makes you wonder if not the leap was similar to homo sapiens compared to chimps. (Not by the small text alone but by studying much more details!) Nobel Laureate Hans Bethe said "I have sometimes wondered whether a brain like von Neumann's does not indicate a species superior to that of man", and later Bethe wrote that "[von Neumann's] brain indicated a new species, an evolution beyond man". Seeing von Neumann's mind at work, Eugene Wigner wrote, "one had the impression of a perfect instrument whose gears were machined to mesh accurately to a thousandth of an inch." Paul Halmos states that "von Neumann's speed was awe-inspiring." Israel Halperin said: "Keeping up with him was ... impossible. The feeling was you were on a tricycle chasing a racing car." Edward Teller admitted that he "never could keep up with him". Teller also said "von Neumann would carry on a conversation with my 3-year-old son, and the two of them would talk as equals, and I sometimes wondered if he used the same principle when he talked to the rest of us

[@TrumanGN]

He wasn't weird. He just knew life was short and he wanted peace and quiet.

[@tacituskilgore9838]

Bruh

[@tracienatalie673]

That's what I think to, but if everybody isn't like everybody else, or bounces around working crappy jobs they ARE labeled as weird!

[@jeffreyyoungblood7438]

I've read his biography. I would describe him as eccentric. And yes. He did want peace and quiet.

[@neilpeartspurplenose8739]

@@jeffreyyoungblood7438 Of course he did. His mind was probably always so busy, he needed seclusion to bring him any semblance of peace of mind.

[@duggydugg3937]

Truman Green we are all crazy it's just a matter of degree

[@geneticepistomology]

I grew up with a prodigy. I can remember our “graduation” from primary school, where he had to leave early because he was also receiving his bachelors in mathematics.from Duke the same day.

[@DogDogGodFog]

Wow tell me more?

[@geneticepistomology]

Torbulentin What you like to know?

[@qurrrat-ul-ain]

@@geneticepistomology where is that prodigy now? 🤔😳

[@geneticepistomology]

A N N I E A professor at a major university (still too young for tenure, these days anyway). Many peer reviewed articles published. 40ish

[@turkeyguy0]

That's not exactly a prodigy, That's just anyone who got sick of the slow pace of school and started studying on their own.

[@joonasnaski9513]

Smartness does not come with happiness.And this man is a perfect example.

[@BreadVanVleet]

Other way around lol

[@shamtradtam3769]

Absolutely no one thinks smartness comes with happiness

[@joonasnaski9513]

@@shamtradtam3769 How do you know?

[@tonydamiani8029]

Imagine being surrounded by children your entire life. Folks who simply cannot understand you as much as they might want to, yet, being adults, they aren’t afraid to argue with you even though their ideas are to you idiotic. Humans aren’t wired to be alone, but this guy truly was alone even when surrounded by people.

[@mndlessdrwer]

Welcome to the entire premise of Flowers for Algernon. A story about a man brought out of the cave of idiocy to reach intellectual heights far beyond his fellow man, only to find that in brilliance lies a deep and pervasive loneliness, as nobody is truly capable of understanding you. It's a good, if incredibly sad, novel. It also has one of the more interesting narrative devices, in that it is written journalistically as a parallel frame narrative from the point of view of Charlie, the main character in the plot, and from the journal entries from the scientists operating the study which granted him his intellectual prowess through their experiments.

[@logicss2893]

Most teachers in a nutshell

[@cricticalthinking4098]

​@ayy lmao This is kind of off topic, but you'll probably be happier watching birds than building spaceships. Everyone I know that can be considered "above average" in intelligence, not even necessarily genius, ends up struggling with the ramifications of their intelligence. "Your mind is a cruel master" is the words my therapist would use, and I agree with him. You will struggle to find brilliant historical figures who don't suffer from problems related to their mind. Heck, take it from me, your counterpart (also USA), who was also evaluated at a "12th grade reading level" in elementary school. In fact, all I did was read during my waking hours, so it makes sense that I would quickly master it. I suffer from high levels of anxiety (enough to give me panic attacks in the middle of the night), have no friends because of how I am socially, and insomnia because of how my mind won't turn off at night. And I only consider myself slightly above average, I perform well in school (college) with minimal effort, but I would say I lack creativity and motivation. I'm happiest when I'm relaxing over a good book, enjoying nature (don't discount birdwatching so quickly as a recreational activity!), and spending time with my family. I could be like Mr. William described in the video, and have been pressured by my parents, but luckily I wasn't. I have enough problems mentally without that on top of everything else! Here's my advice to you. 1) Don't worry about how "smart" you are at this point in time. If you want to explore spaceflight, then go explore it. Hobbies are often more enjoyable than learning in a school setting, and my own strongest skills are things I learned on my own. Would you rather have been given some meaningless research assignment in the third grade instead? 2) Don't overvalue intelligence. If anxiety disorder has taught me anything, it's that intelligence (thoughtfulness, problem solving, and learning ability) doesn't come without cost. The thinking part of you is only a small part of the whole, whether you like it or not. Finally, even if someone is very intelligent, there are still people that can do everything that person can do, and better. Remember that compared to the 7.9 billion people on this planet, you are but a frog at the bottom of the well. 3) Try watching the birds sometimes. It's relaxing and can teach you how small you are compared to the everyday happenings on this planet. From your comment I can tell that you feel a bunch of resentment towards society as it stands today. If you've watched this video through, you'll find that being unhappy with the current state of things is a common mark of intelligence. However, society is out of your control as 7.9 billion other people make up human society as a whole. Apply your mind towards something you can control, rather than ruminate towards the things you can't, else you may find yourself in the same situation as me when your mind has been sufficiently trained to ruminate 24/7.

[@solonada9602]

I wish I could become a genius. The ability to understand how the society is broken is actually good; you can use it to benefit yourself, to formulate new ideas. For example, I have created my own ideology, because I had realised how flawed our society is. I know I am more intelligent than the average person, but only by a few points, not by 2 whole standardized deviations. But I wish I was.

[@RandyVidz]

@@solonada9602 Well nobody is gonna understand you and we humans are social animals. We need people to understand us, we humans got our intelligence by walking on land getting more dominant instead of hiding in the trees eating fruits, we liked being in bands of 30-50 people. If one of those people in the band were significantly intelligent compared to the rest he would feel like they are really dumb and this will ofc create problems, like imagine the first person to ever use tools and then trying to explain it to the other people who basically have no deep understanding of knowing the physics of everyday objects enough to think that you can use them as tools. They don't even know what a tool is. I think it's a little depressing not being like the rest. You don't wanna be alone with your brain what's the point of it all then, what's the point in having a brain when nobody can understand it.

[@codacreator6162]

Einstein's greatest gift was a high functioning imagination paired with genius for maths. Shakespeare's linguistic Intelligence was also paired with tremendous imagination. There are innumerable examples of this. Genius is one component. Smart is only as valuable as its willingness to explore the novel for innovation is where progress lives.

[@Shinobubu]

THIS.. it's not enough that you are smart. You need to create as well have the capacity to explain said creation.

[@LMICUK]

Wow love this 💙

[@idontwantahandlethough]

Very well said! Also: motivation is another important factor. I'm sure there are a lot of geniuses who just simply have zero desire to do what most of us would probably want them to do with their lives.. so we'll probably never know about them.

[@nenmaster5218]

Elon Musk is literally called in each comment-section the smartest Man alive, which shows that his marketing-department worked as intended. Still, it's hilarious to most; and hilarious to all Experts; that people really think this. Truly a very fascinating social study has been done here and surely, people only care who's famous and can present himself well. Reality does not have to disagree or Reality will be thrown outta the window; ok.

[@jout738]

Yes I also had good imagination as child, when intresting imagination could amuse me as child without nobody knowing what I even imagine. Yes some people are genious, but some got the passion to imagine the stuff their genious about.

[@starvoyager7313]

He wasn't weird! He was tired of being used/seen as a "show pony." Wanting to live life on his own terms was among the💡 "smartest" things he ever did! 💯💫

[@katakana1]

"He blamed all of society's problems on religion and capitalism" I don't care how controversial this is, but... *Boy was he ahead of his time.*

[@stohess]

Well that is to be expected from the man with the highest IQ ever

[@maxw9833]

I'm not so sure about religion, that's a bit more touchy, but 100% on capitalism

[@JohnCena-lh4zb]

Yh it’s not like the world has any other problems before capitalism. You are absolutely correct

[@user-hi6uh8sb3m]

@@maxw9833 religion is capitalism you give ur money to the church just like you give ur money to the state. people like you are so worked up on the definition of “faith” that has been taught to y’all. that you cant see that religion is a cult that you pay for. You or your parents have already been brainwashed by the cult leaders so you think your supposed to go to church every Sunday and give them 10% of your check you got on Friday. For hope or faith that you’ll be rewarded at the end of your life. But that church still got your money. It’s just like going through your day to day life where the state taxes the money that you work for in the hope or the faith that they will have your back in the end but neither the church or the state cares about your well-being they want that money.

[@maxw9833]

@@user-hi6uh8sb3m we just have different cultures and circumstances, in my country you're not obliged to give money to the church. All they do is put a box there and if you want to, just put money in there. But trust me, if i had to guess maybe 10% put money there, bc the pastor is already well off. In addition to that, people could give any amount of cash they want, the most I've given is 5 dollars. But in a way i see why u think it gives "cult vibes", but u need to know that not all churches are actually good Me personally, i dont even go to church nowadays, i only identify as a Christian as a safety net if there is such a Creator out there.

[@engrumarkhan]

Twist in story: he faked his death so he can live peacefully 🤔

[@bobsagetisepic1197]

Maybe..... or maybe not.

[@AsfandiarTesla]

That makes him still alive😂

[@superdupersketchy4524]

@@AsfandiarTesla that makes him dead

[@fezzik7619]

@@AsfandiarTesla still alive at 122 years old. Did you think that through?

[@ram5ramen582]

@@fezzik7619 he will turn 123 this year on April first

[@dgrando202]

I like how you forgot to mention that Ted was a test subject for the Cia and under the watch of the educational institute to which he attended. Theodore didn't just go mad

[@johnnygraz4712]

We see this a lot today: parents turning their kids into lab rats as an extension of their own ego.

[@bbHoodski]

Where do we see this alot today?

[@etooamill9528]

@@bbHoodski Alternative medicine

[@Nik.No.K]

In my view all children are an extension of their parents ego but not all to this extent

[@KShiro-xb7sj]

@@bbHoodski i immediately thought of the many prodigy child musicians I’ve seen lately on IG and KZbin, not exactly “lab rats” but I imagine there’s a similar kind of encouragement and pressure

[@Fritz9672]

@@KShiro-xb7sj Nowhere near

[@opalsirius8484]

5:40 It's not about living up to expectations. Intelligent people make everyone around them feel inadequate and awakens a dark competitiveness that can be very hard for the genius to overcome if it's e v e r y person they know. Really smart people learn to keep their high intelligence under the radar but even so it's very lonely and the lack of stimulation from peers can drive them crazy. It's horrible for every remark made to be met with a sneer and eye roll; it's not just lonely, it's torture

[@mrbackranked1788]

No

[@garlandking4519]

Relatable.

[@thundrthediety9292]

James Sidis at 6: *Writing books in 7 different languages* Me at 6: *Closing the fridge slowly to see when the lights turn off* Edit: Thanks for the likes guys!

[@sandilou2U]

Slow development does not always equate to lower intelligence when someone becomes an adult. Keep trying to figure the refrigerator light dilemma. You will find the answer one day (when you do message me, my electric bill has been breaking my budget)🤪

[@blackdogslivesmatter1568]

@@sandilou2U Take the bulb out😂

[@kyrlics6515]

Also you: couldn't make an original comment. funny

[@K4inan]

I remember thinking that the speed of light must be when the light turns on from being off when I flip the switch. After doing that for a while and noticing the timing always varied, I thought that the speed of light must be when the light turns on and it hits me. After like 10 minutes of trying to calculate how fast that was I just thought "it must be super fast" and then I asked my dad a million questions.

[@jwvandegronden]

All I read is two inquiring minds. So cool and so cute. I did the same thing :D My son recently educated me; I just explained the other day to him what symmetry was. Next day we are in a Lego shop and we both built our own vehicle for some contest. We took pictures to upload onto the site and he asked me: is your vehicle symmetrical? Yes, I replied. Than we could have taken photos of just one side... Damn!! 5 yo smartypamts. Inquiring minds. Got to love them!

[@RandomStuff-Nemo]

The smart people are the most confused. They have questions without answers.

[@Andytlp]

@@kittystar4874 If thats u.s .... they eat like pigs and the food is awful. Youre supposed to prepare your own meals and it doesnt cost more than fast food garbage.

[@pravinrao3669]

@@Archives007 Dude we simply exist why should there be a reason for existence. I mean our existence should have a different reason than a rocks existence.

[@Oliver-bn7jt]

@@Archives007 sociopathy overload

[@archiedaga933]

They have the answer without the question

[@AZ-dp4ht]

@@kittystar4874 yeah you lost me at basic psychology, you should work on not sounding like a complete degenerate thats trying to come off as smart.

[@cosminblk8359]

Unfourtunatley, he shares the same birthday with the man with the lowest IQ in recorded history: Logan Paul IQ: probably under the level of the sea

[@azarishere6442]

Anubis its over 9000 metars under the sea But honestly i dont think that those two are dumb, they probebly dis all of it on perpuse to get viral and rich. And the way that they act in thair videos is just an act

[@ghanimkanugrahan7948]

Thanos would be proud. It's a balance you know.

[@ruthikrysiak6155]

Don’t you know that iq is an absolute gimmick made by a French kindergarten teacher in the 1800s to see if the children knew what they were supposed to know

[@bibtebo]

Logan and jake share a birthday?

[@liamobrien9451]

If jake Paul was an idiot he wouldn't be so successful. He might be a sociopath with a knack for taking advantage of kids, but he is certainly not dumb

[@kaisacat]

"Until 1919, when he was arrested for holding a political demonstration... which I didn't think you could be arrested for...?" Oh 2018, you sweet summer child.

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

I'm going to appropriate your phrase "sweet summer child"....

[@mariusvanc]

@@maskedmarvyl4774 "sweet summer of love child"

[@patchr5491]

Lol people get arrested for that all the time. Jane Fonda did not to long ago and she's 82.

[@paccawacca4069]

You still can't. Ditz

[@Ceej3]

“Where you end up in life has very little to do with your intelligence” a good reminder to not be too hard on yourself :) was to me at least

[@davidho2977]

I heard someone did a study and they found that 70-80% of where you end up is due to social skills or lack thereof.

[@zasherakhan6957]

Tomorrow is his birthday so happy Birthday to the smartest man who ever lived and then eventually died

[@mechadonia]

Unlike the smartest man living right now who is presumably immortal until proven otherwise

[@dylandaw8610]

"True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing" -Socrates

[@nodozhit]

Objectivity versus subjectivity

[@phyl1283]

Socrates was a pessimist.

[@72marshflower15]

Intelligence is relative as everyone is stupid in their own ways...

[@ZackScroggins]

"All we are is dust in the wind, dude" -Ted "Theodore" Logan

[@NICEFINENEWROBOT]

"... know not much" would have done, too.

[@missingpiece2071]

Burn out man, Burn out, pushing your limits results in longer recovery times. Sustainability in all things physical and mental. Taking time for contemplation and rest is as important as the task at hand.

[@Dragon-ul8fv]

Give some examples of mentally burning out and the activities associated with them.

[@terrifictomm]

Not that there was ever the chance of it happening, but I can remember my mother telling me that, although I was smart enough, she was grateful none of her six children were cursed with genius. She used the term "cursed."

[@MrBluemanworld]

Never heard of him, very sad. It's something to think about

[@TheVariableConstant]

Wow that's impressive you havent but probably expected. His godfather and uncle was William James, one of the most intelligent and influential American academics in history...

[@JavierCR25]

So much pressure on a child probably wasn’t good. While his intellect was far advanced his emotional capacity wasn’t anywhere near developed. Certain environments don’t only require intellect but rather the emotional rationale only given by experience. Just my 2 cents.

[@tomylaw]

Nailed it

[@cusher977]

Ultimately it was the toxicity of society was to overwhelming for him. People always manipulated him, and if he refused he was berated,and humiliated. I understand his life and agree with him 100%

[@wernhardbierbauerthefourth2476]

Sidis is such a cool last name. Sounds like a sith lord or some kind of deadly disease...

[@latrellsprewell653]

Wernhard Bierbauer The Fourth he was a Sith Lord. It's been proven by top scientists.

[@FireworksAndHurricanes]

Plus, his last name is palindromic. Meaning, it's spelled the same backward as it is forward. Pretty short but neat surname.

[@irisfainberg7623]

Im israeli, never thought of it that way since i hear that family name alot :)

[@dillondrozario1613]

Lord sidious

[@HumanimalChannel]

@@FireworksAndHurricanes thanks Edward for remembering what I couldn't...palindrome...I woulda for there eventually but you saved me the frustration!

[@mummyhuihui]

Child geniuses doing child geniuses stuff Me as a child : Booger taste salty

[@mindmy609]

HAHAHA made my night never ate them but I flicked them

[@shizukamori6755]

I only have average intelligence, but I'm smart enough to realize I can't change the world, or fix humanity's problems, or whatever. So I just live my life in peace and quiet, doing what I love and minding my own business.

[@gbaker9295]

That's right. Do what you can and be kind to people. Can't carry the weight of the world alone

[@phyl1283]

...nothing wrong with that. If you aspire to nothing, you seldom fail.

[@whatsupbudbud]

I would consider my intelligence to be above average but I've come to the same conclusion. What I've found is that people like being ignorant. The only driving force for people is self-interest, so anything and anyone who comes in the way will be the enemy. Powerful people know this very well, hence they're in power and the stupidity of the world continues. Sadly, the older I get the more I seem to accept that L value in the Drake equation tends to tilt towards zero.

[@cantthinkofnameyeah7249]

Every prerson hes many daily problems that could be solved by simple inventions and every so often one of those problems is significantly commonplace to others also. If every person looked to save a couple thousand to pay for a patent we live in a highly efficient world

[@cantthinkofnameyeah7249]

*has

[@Loveoldies50]

My favorite is Nikola Tesla. He wasn’t going after money with his inventions. He wanted to make the world a better place. He was used for his intelligence and ended up pennyless. I find his life story very interesting, and very sad. I went from admiring other inventors of his time to despising them for the way Tesla was treated.

[@TexasScout]

I found this to be true, that people who are extremely talented in a particular area, are usually deficient in some area of their personality.

[@extropiantranshuman]

Nothing wrong with that. It takes focus to work on an issue and that means naturally not socializing as much. Those skills come back and after a problem is solved. The truth is - it's not true. Otherwise you wouldn't see so many intellectual voices these days - youtube, podcasts, business ventures, etc. socializing more than the so called 'low iq workers' everyone talks about here.

[@garyha2650]

Only so much brain available. But then there's also spirit. But if the brain is a transducer then only so much of the spirit trying to express can make it through very well. A case to think about might be blind musicians where the large amount of brain usually used for vision can instead be allocated for music.

[@betweenthetidess]

I don’t think I’m a genius by any means, but I’ve always had a “weird” uncanny ability to remember very specific & minute details even going years & years back. Always was an honor roll student & dean’s list / president’s list through college. I never really had to try hard to get good grades like ever. My parents always referred to me as “the golden child.” and in my experience, over time it becomes A LOT of pressure. like your expectations are set so high yet you aren’t the one really setting them? so you feel like so apt to want achieve those & the thought of failing in any type of way even in a minute way of one thing wrong, you consider yourself a failure. it just feels like an underlining overwhelming feeling of pressure on you to succeed every time. It gets tiresome & stressful. Especially having OCD on top of it, whoa it’s even shittier. because it’s like i feel like i HAVE to do things right all the time. it’s a constant struggle in my mind where (as bad as it sounds) makes me wish i was either born when woman had no rights or a simpleton because the pressure of it all is too much sometimes.

[@syedhasanmashfik9930]

A@AA@SA

[@MuscleMan500]

ahhh fine... we'll take your rights away again

[@jgray1831]

That’s why I stopped trying to be smart. Might sound dumb but if you just keep your wits to yourself and put them to use when you need them I’ve found it changes the way people see you, now whether you like the new way ppl see you is a different dilemma, but personally I’d prefer to be smart but look stupid then be smart and look smart because at least if I look stupid then when I do something stupid it isn’t a failure, it’s par for the course.

[@jgray1831]

Although I’m in high school and definitely don’t want to be seen as an idiot forever, just until I can be on my own with nothing but my own expectations to put on myself.

[@sher1864]

You wrote the why of why many isolate themselves. Tesla kept to himself too! Many do. The world is a distraction.

[@memeoti6266]

He was smart enough to get out of the limelight.👏🏽

[@Voicenreason247]

He just realized all our problems are self caused. Soon as you realize it that will drive anyone crazy. Happened to me to.

[@qui3tstorm793]

If life was a racetrack and intelligence represented the horsepower of your car, wisdom would represent how skilled of a driver you were. Sometimes, if not all the time wisdom(control) is better than pure power(intelligence). In fact the higher you are in intelligence relative to your wisdom, the harder you will crash.

[@lewisharbo2439]

notice really smart people don't seem to like other people?

[@walden6272]

Thus I was told. My limit is 4 people at a time. JR makes excellent observation.

[@christiantaylor1495]

JR Ah you must think you're very smart.

[@iannordin5250]

You seem to have this idea that genius people fit the mold of introverted misanthropes, when in reality geniuses have a wealth of different personalities. Many well know geniuses lived full social lives and craved attention, devoted their lives to a cause, ect.

[@frogman007]

The smarter you are, the fewer people you can relate to..

[@ct92404]

No. But I have noticed a lot of special snowflake Millennials who think they're smart and love to claim they have "high functioning autism" but are actually just anti-social freaks.

[@lab4change2023]

I want to know what his literal childhood looked like; to be able to read and write so young that means his parents were teaching him to read and write instead of or including developmental play. Like what did his days look like as a baby and toddler, we probably will never know.

[@neohippe1]

Smartest man that you know of!-). There are even smarter genius’ that are usually hermits. Hermits because they are smart enough to stay away from all the neuronorms!-)

[@jasong546]

I don’t know why but (I am 46) in the second grade my mother and whoever thought I wasn’t doing well in school so she had me tested to see if I had any learning disability. I remember the old woman had me drawing pictures with my left hand and reading science stuff out loud...well right away my mom started telling people I had an IQ of 156. She was so proud, and I didn’t improve, and never felt smart. All it did was make me feel guilty for not performing better in school. I had terrible times with math, and basically I was just good at English and reading. By the 9th grade telling people that was embarrassing to me. They said I was so smart, but that’s it. They didn’t help me with a way to learn better. It really served only to make me feel small to be called really really smart. Being labeled as that, or a genius is over rated. It just doesn’t help a kid do well.

[@WorldKeepsSpinnin]

Jason Guion there’s no such thing as “doing well” or being “successful” in this world. If your iq is really that high I feel bad because your victim of this world, and even with that high of a iq you still can’t see the world around you.

[@jasong546]

Wind I am not and have never been a victim, I was saying I was not served by being told something like that but not actually been given any tools to help me in areas I struggled with. I don’t know what victim of this world means, and I certainly don’t know why you would say I don’t see the world. You only know that telling me that didn’t help, and nothing else about me. Sounds like you are really smart though so okay...

[@jasong546]

Wind and actually further, I am doing well in this world, in quotes, and am successful, in my eyes, also in quotes for some reason...I must have a much lower IQ than I thought because I didn’t know of my lack of success, lack of doing well, my being a victim, or not seeing the world, which I see just fine and have actually physically seen a great deal of in travel with my successful work. ??? I think I will settle for this.

[@athmaid]

That's what happened to me as well (although my IQ back when I was about 9 was only 129... allegedly). My grades dropped HARD when I got into secondary school. Being curious just wasn't enough to write good grades. Like many of those that get told that they have an above average IQ I had trouble memorizing material I didn't care about, but that was necessary for grading. I'm still depressed to this day because of the "diagnosis". I feel like I've become dumb and useless. If you truly love your kids, don't test their IQs. That's all I'm trying to say. It might just be a number, but knowing that number can lead to behavior and thoughts that a child should not have.

[@AudieHolland]

It's true, general education isn't the best education for very smart people. If you cannot connect with other people, you're an outcast, no matter how smart you are. So Sidis' way of coping (self chosen seclusion) isn't that bad at all.

[@gomerpyle2760]

I was the most intelligent man on Earth... then I turned 16, and found it " healthier", and far more rewarding, to throttle it back....

[@randomrandom654]

@W B that's what he means by throttling back

[@nicholasadams2374]

As always, great video Joe! On the subject of prodigies, I would love to see a video about Bobby Fisher. Arguably the greatest chess master of all time. Walked away from fame and fortune.

[@AlbertLavenziano]

whenever a person does not fit into the mass perception of what a human being should be, you are doomed...he was doomed by the cults of religion, money accumulation and popularity...he realized that the way to survive was to retreat from the society which did not understand him any more than he understood them...

[@quoththeraven3985]

As pretentious as this will sound, I have a very high I.Q. and I'm a janitor, I like being alone and no one talks to the janitor. I think futurama summed it up best ''new ideas make people scared and smart ideas make them feel stupid'' ppl say 'if you're so smart why aren't you rich?' There's very little appreciation thus motivation to plz other people. What are we supposed to do with these 'smart ppl' how can we apply them?

[@puirYorick]

Didn't the janitor end up briefly owning the majority share in Planet Express for a few seconds?

[@claypage1089]

There is no one to talk to about engaging topics without having to constantly explain.

[@timnewth2416]

They were right society was and is wrong.

[@GabrielCarvv]

why im confused

[@synonymous_]

Dumbest and Easiest way of looking at things.

[@ljtl2274]

@@synonymous_ Modern society works against the nature of humans.

[@synonymous_]

@@ljtl2274 Wow, having some big boy thoughts today aren't you? And who inventes society? How did it come to be? Your answer is the collective desire of humanity for easier acces to everything. This "good people vs. Bad society" trope is so fucking simplified and overused it actually hurts.

[@Matty002]

so his brain basically said 'fuck this, im out'. relatable

[@KyrstOak]

3:48 WOW. He knew about black holes.

[@alexcerullo3143]

Sun Jara black holes don’t have reverse times smart one

[@miriamwheeler8104]

Alex Cerullo yes, but in the region around black holes, time is greatly slowed due to the immense gravitation force they admit, which warps the fabric of space time. That is why, if someone were to orbit a black hole, a few seconds to them would be perceived as possibly years by the rest of the universe. So, while this is not the reversal of time, it is suspiciously similar. And, if paired with the ‘would not admit light’, seems a bit too big of a coincidence to ignore.

[@miriamwheeler8104]

I noticed this too!! It’s so crazy!

[@Johncornwell103]

Black holes were predicted before Einstein released his theory of general relativity. They were called Dark stars.

[@forgottenusername1291]

All Cats Are Beautiful Well actually they were mentioned in the Quran 1,400 years ago

[@billd.iniowa2263]

It's been said that "It's not what you know, it's who you know". You could be the best golfer of all time, but if you were born to peasant parents in outer Mongolia and never traveled more than 20 miles from home, who would know about your potential? Hmm... I wonder if they even play golf in Mongolia?

[@billd.iniowa2263]

@ayy lmao I'm just saying that potential does not necessarily equal success and fame.

[@jgray1831]

@ayy lmao you’re missing his point, he’s saying that opportunity isn’t equally spread. He isn’t saying that it’s fair, he’s telling it how it is. Like he said you could be the greatest of all time at something but if you aren’t born into a situation that allows your talent to be widely known then it doesn’t matter how good you are

[@thedevil1667]

I first learned about this story when I was reading the books of the first year psychology of athens. A friend had given them to me when I was like 11. I remember they introduced him like a very interesting person. Especially cause he was unremarkable and normal. He didn't want to become a doctor. He felt like he was a failure. He once went to the Amazon too to learn pharmacology.

[@michaelj5463]

Certain geniuses are able to see the construction of the world around them to a depth and in a spectrum unavailable to the rank and file. It will do things to your creation of priorities, including lessening the importance of your immediate life and disarranging an establishment of worthwhile goals. The unseen layers make the everyday ones seem trivial.

[@andrewpearson1903]

+John Stern He means that Sidis-type people perceive the flaws and weaknesses in whole systems that most of us take for granted. Sidis, for example, went after capitalism and organized religion instead of doing smaller things, like inventing or writing books, because he saw problems beyond the personal level and believed he could fix them.

[@andrewc1036]

Blah blah blah

[@erinbaggarly900]

He's was like Tesla/Turing/a little dash of Sheldon.

[@melsmobileservices4223]

I totally understand this guy. I took the S.A.T. test in 6 grade to due to second year college scores on school tests but felt pressured to be brilliant & purposely bombed the S.A.T. just live a normal life. My only life goals (back then) was to become a great dad.....(free college, lots of attention, working on fields of my choice).......but i was socially awkward so I just wanted the simple life. I'm now a business owner performing Auto repair......oh & I did reach that life goal (3 boys)😊

[@joshuatraffanstedt2695]

Extreme Diagnostic congrats on that then, sir.

[@joshuatraffanstedt2695]

Extreme Diagnostic it's your life. We should never let someone dictate what we should be. Not even our parents.

[@milboxr9772]

Extreme Diagnostic that's awesome

[@joddden]

Johnny Von Neumann was regarded as the smartest man by his peers like Einstein and Eugene Wagner and people who worked with him on the Manhattan project

[@IAlwaysWantedToTryThat]

“There was a seminar for advanced students in Zürich that I was teaching and von Neumann was in the class. I came to a certain theorem, and I said it is not proved and it may be difficult. von Neumann didn’t say anything but after five minutes he raised his hand. When I called on him he went to the blackboard and proceeded to write down the proof. After that I was afraid of von Neumann” - George Pólya, Von Neumann's University professor

[@imtheone-o7s]

I can relate...he's vibrating at totally different frequency than others...absolute different! That's the answer you're looking for ; )

[@pokefrosch617]

Having a high IQ is overrated. Does not mean your able to have a meaningful life, not even you're making smart decisions.

[@mariannepalfy6674]

I’m sure with an IQ that high it must have been very hard for him to relate to most people . His must have been under intense pressure all the time. Obviously his parents and their intellectual experiment is what created this for him. I do believe most people would develop higher intelligence if it were developed while the brain was just forming its route of learning. It’s a very interesting topic. While I was pre med In College I had to take 3 psychology classes and every professor likes to give a different IQ test . Then they treat you different when you score higher than they do. Imagine being tested and seriously blowing it up. The expectations placed on you would be immense. An IQ test basically had all the information in front of you to and your timed so you need to figure it out quickly. I picked up my daughters LSAT study book for law school , I flipped through it and it seemed to mostly be a big IQ test . I think every child has the potential for greatness given they are in a encouraging environment.

[@cricticalthinking4098]

If you haven't run into this yet, look up the first female chess grandmaster's father. He had theories on early childhood development that I personally find noteworthy. The idea being that "prodigies" are made rather than born. Of course, examples like Mr. William, in this video here, show that too much intellectual pressure is a double edged sword.

[@Jay9999]

Ignorance is bliss. Knowing you were born into a prison is difficult to live with

[@dianathompson7597]

Took me till 35 , migraine pain ever since.

[@daryllenders5565]

You're so deep I wish I was you

[@FullBody]

The firmament?

[@hagayudamar832]

I'm 14

[@kevinquist]

We have concerns over our son. Graduated high school early. Took all the AP classes. Graduated with a 4.6 (on a 4.0 scale). He got his bachelors in Aerospace engineering and mathematics in 3 years. 4.0 gpa. IQ was tested at 175. Brilliant kid. wants to build space transport vehicles. TRYING to keep him humble (laugh, I did NOT succeed. ) and encourage him his whole life has been a nightmare - how do you tutor a brain that is smarter than yours when he is 10 years old? I can see the burn bright and burn quick thing. dear lord i worry about that boy. Probably the only dad in history that brought is boy to college and said "listen. I know your gonna do great. I know you will get your work done. Find a few hours. Find a party and have a drink. relax. just dont do anything stupid". (no, he never did to the best of my knowledge)

[@chriskaprys]

One of those Mysteries of the Unexplained paperbacks I had in my youth told a similar story about a guy in India whose parents successfully trained him from birth. His father was particularly pushy, iirc, and the genius lacked the social skills necessary to be a fully-rounded, fulfilled human, and he fizzled out young.

[@1commonplace519]

Who?

[@chriskaprys]

@@1commonplace519 🤷 dunno

[@_Thoughtful_Aquarius_]

Ted Kaczynski - The Unabomber At Harvard, at the age of 16, he was subjected to a behavioral engineering project run by the CIA. It was part of the US government's illegal MKUltra project, which ruined the lives of many innocent people around the world. The study was run by Dr. Henry Murray, who had each of his 22 subjects write an essay detailing their dreams and aspirations. The students were then taken to a room where electrodes were attached to them to monitor their vitals as they were subjected to extremely personal, stressful, and brutal critiques about the essays they had written. Following the psychological attacks, the participants were forced to watch the videos of themselves being verbally and psychologically assaulted multiple times. Kaczynski is claimed to have had the worst physiological reaction to being interrogated. These experiments, paired with his lack of social skills and memories of being bullied as a child, caused Kaczynski to suffer from horrible nightmares that eventually drove him to move into isolation outside Lincoln, Montana

[@fritzstorp8357]

Thoughtful Aquarius someone wantched manhunter unabomber

[@josephbanks1691]

It's easier not to be wise And measure these things by your brains. the greatest of teachers wont hesitate to leave you there by yourself chained to fate...

[@williamreid8388]

I think you gloss over Ted K's torture at the hands of MKUltra. I don't patreon you, but I'd love to see an AwJ summary of the historical record of MKUltra!

[@davidnola5628]

Elon Musk

[@absalomdraconis]

I'm not sure Musk is a genius, though certainly he seems disappointed with the particular future we all live in (spoiler: rockets aren't _that_ complex, they just explode if you do things wrong, like a bicycle made out of nitroglycerine. Also, we could have been on Mars by the 80s if we actually tried. We're living in the lazy version of the future).

[@Dragon-ul8fv]

Rockets are very complex. Don't let a large team dissuade you. The fact such teams exist ensures you that rocket science is of enormous complexity and no human could possibly build one without a team of engineers which worked in their own particular sectors.

[@absalomdraconis]

Dragon : Liquid rockets are much simpler than internal combustion engines, and both have been designed by individuals. Solid fuel rockets are simpler than liquid fuel rockets, though the dissimilarity of chemistry to everything else in rocketry means that you would be better off teaching rocketry to a chemist, rather than the other way around. No, the difficulty with rocketry is not complexity, but rather strictness. Levels of mistakes that would be minor with other fields are often major in rocketry due to energy levels and densities. The most complex elements in rockets that actually get used (as opposed to some of the weird ideas, like carrier-fluidized solid granule rockets) are solid fuel chemistry, and hydrodynamics, the later of which is actually somewhat simple, but inherently cannot be completely simulated. Staging and gimbaling are sort of in the middle, but Goddard did both of them. No, the primary reason why multi-person teams were needed is basically just manpower. You needed people to run calculations (we use computers now), monitor stuff (computers), move stuff (forklifts and such), and various other brute-effort endeavours. Building a rocket completely by yourself isn't a particularly good idea, but as long as you spend sufficient time, attention, and effort, you can be completely successful. Also, most of the important stuff is actually online, mostly the hard part will be buying an engine .

[@Dragon-ul8fv]

Come on man. You have got to admit that rocket science is complex. From the combustion of the engine, to the engine itself, to the fuel and the power it takes for lift off. We are talking about space rockets here not a simple model you shoot off in your back yard. If you were to build one from scratch, it is beyond complex. How would you create the engine, the materials and so forth. Basically the real question is not how complex a rocket is, but how complex do you want to make it? The farther the distance from earth, the more complex it gets. No man alive could build a rocket to the moon and actually launch it by himself with success. A team of engineers is always needed, and the strict precision it takes just to land on the moon is by its very nature, complex.

[@johnking9942]

It is not surprising he became somewhat of a recluse. If you think of it in terms of time and his life span was 500 years compared to the average of 70 you can see where a person could grow tired with seeing the same progression in mental development in people over and over. You would have less and less relatable contact. You would naturally drift away from contacts with other people. Maybe his accelerated ability to grasp concepts and knowledge acted in the same fashion to alienate him from others.

[@Jojo_D_Northstar]

If he was against capitalism then was he really a genius? if he was then I guess even geniuses can't be always right .

[@PeterKato83]

Most kids get brain washed through universities to be socialist because universities rely on government money.

[@DavidSmith-vr1nb]

What exactly makes capitalism universally "correct"? Unrestricted capitalism can be a horrible beast at times, so unless you measure success solely in dollars there are good arguments for a mixed economy.

[@platinumvoid1648]

Who's to say Capitalism is right?

[@ak8990]

There is a difference between being intelligent and having wisdom. An intelligent person might think socialism should work because it may seem to be the most fair on paper, however the wise person will realize that in reality capitalism is the best system against tyranny, protect individual freedoms, and promote economic growth.

[@Enceos]

Intelligence and wisdom are two absolutely different traits. One can exist without the other. Most prominent people have both. I'd argue that every genius should study psychology and history, which will help them understand people and will shine a light on how to pave the path in life.

[@AlphaCompRepair]

The Unabomber's IQ was said to be at 168 and he also craved isolation.

[@growbydoing7290]

All geniuses crave isolation. Always have and always will.

[@ljtl2274]

Interacting with ppl is like interacting with aliens.

[@TomlinsTE]

@@growbydoing7290 It would be exhausting to be surrounded by idiots all the time. I think it makes perfect sense for very intelligent people to avoid simple crowds.

[@growbydoing7290]

Tim Time indeed.

[@sandilou2U]

@@ljtl2274 You misspelled ants.

[@ka1ku18r]

immeasurable !!

[@Mr.PepeSilvia]

"Where we end up at in life has very little to do with our intelligence" Joe Scott just became one of my favorite people

[@Mr.PepeSilvia]

An American guy approaches a Brit, and asks, “Excuse me, where is the restroom at?” Brit, trying to be clever, says “In the English language, my dear chap, it is frowned upon to end a sentence with a preposition” “OK”, says the American, “where’s the restroom at, asshole?”

[@davidho2977]

@@Mr.PepeSilvia LOL!

[@Saffrone221]

When they are born not knowing what fapping means. They live without distractions. I swear fapping burns calories and brain cells.

[@henryjames8654]

@Fahad Nezam , so we should avoid the guys with hairy palms, and big nose openings, when asking for directions?

[@AmateurHistorian999]

People think it's great to be smart, but intelligence is a sorely mixed blessing. People don't like others who are smarter than them. My IQ was once measured at 144, not genius but up there, and until I was about 13 I was bullied by a lot of kids and a good few adults too. I wanted to fit in and just be normal, but I used big words and kids thought I was a smart ass. I was bored in school, so teachers thought I was a lazy smart ass. Kids beat me up. Teachers, coaches, and principals paddled me. I had so many bullies in my neighborhood that the only place I was safe was the half-block at my end of our street. It wasn't until I learned how to hide my intelligence, and talk a lot less, that the bullying stopped.

[@Morbos1000]

When I was in Junior College I met a 7yo kid who I thought was just hanging out in the college's video arcade waiting for his parents or something. When I asked him about it he said "no, I'm a student here". Turns out it was Michael Kearney who became the youngest college graduate ever at age 10. I think it is a terrible idea to push kids that young to advanced studies though. Far too many end up screwed up socially and very few go on to become true phenoms. They more often end up about the same career wise as a highly intelligent person who went through school at the normal pace then went on to get advanced degrees themselves.

[@VIKDR1]

People have such a limited view of intelligence. Too often we think that if we fill our heads with information, that makes us intelligent, or that if we are skilled at passing tests, specifically IQ tests. Information is important, and at one time I became obsessed with filling my head with as much as I could find, to the point that I had to force myself to start putting limits on what I was willing to learn. In fact I tried to force myself into information that was more functional. Then you are left with a problem. Do you understand this information, or are you just regurgitating it? There is a difference. The former has the skills of a dictionary, the latter has the potential of creating something new. IQ tests only give a snapshot of a person. If a person one person has a great day, they could test higher than they normally would, and then there are the people who just guess, and like the lottery they just happened to be the ones who got the numbers right. But what about the person who had a lack of sleep, maybe was under the weather, or had problems that distracted them at the time of the test? People that look deeper into intelligence have found that there are different types, and that IQ tests do not quantify all of them, not even most of them, and even then the people who study these things often forget to look at creativity. Sidis was definitely intelligent, yet his accomplishments were exaggerated, and his IQ was made up. (If we believe Wikipedia.) One problem with child prodigies is that their abilities don't always keep up with their growth. Just because somebody is way ahead at 8 doesn't mean they will always be that far ahead. Too often others will either catch up to them, or at least close the gap a little or a lot.

[@grahammiles584]

VICDR when we fill our heads with information we are just programing ourselves. This programing used along with our other senses gives us the chance to become more knowledge. If people spent more time on the computer and reading, along with sensible thing, then it would be a matter of time, in most cases, to raise our IQ considerably. Just learn how to think and let the brain do the work of remembering. Just feed the brain

[@sandilou2U]

Sounds like Asperger's. Brilliant but struggled with relationships and avoided social situations

[@kyrlics6515]

No it doesn't. That can be applied to many types of people. And highly intelligent people often can't communicate anyway. Low intelligent people in comparison to extremely high intelligent is incredibly frustrating. Of course he'd avoid it. The communication range for iq is 30 points up and down. Considering how high his iq is, establishing relationships just wouldn't happen.

[@sandilou2U]

@@kyrlics6515 Copied from Health Net... "Asperger’s Syndrome is considered to be the least severe and mildest form of autism. It is mainly characterized by above-average intelligence but lacks communication and social skills." You were saying?

[@michaelearendil6843]

Perhaps! Or maybe he was just an introvert. In any case, society was toxic to him, and often still is to people deemed different than the norm.

[@lbarnhill5493]

OR...he could just simply have been an introvert.

[@sandilou2U]

@@lbarnhill5493 Yes. Only speculating.

[@shadowgolem9158]

The hypocracy inherent in modern human society is damaging to the psyche of highly intelligent people. You need to learn to just ignore a lot of what happens to have a prayer of coping, unfortunately.

[@Luna3141592]

"Another child prodigy was Ted Kaczynski." *uncomfortable laughter*

[@MICKSHRED]

the laugh that shred master Scott does from his channel shred. Hahahahahahah

[@steveeparsonsjr7929]

Tesla..... Hands down we still haven't overcome & still use his technologies in products today as of 2020.

[@abgailmanke9010]

You don't live up to other people's expectations. You live up to the expectations you put for yourself and if you ever feel like you reached them then it is time to set new expectations. The only time I say you should care really what other people think of you is whether or not you are a good person. Otherwise live your life for you and for God.

[@bx6p166]

No solid evidence of William James Sidis being involved in the bombings, which leads to a dislike.

[@thatonetenor1547]

Learn from this: you don’t need to tell people you’re smart. Other people will spread the word for you

[@Optamizm]

"You're the smartest person in the world, you're going to make the world a better place" "But I can't, the world is full of morons who won't listen to me"

[@TeleNikon]

Marianne 2020

[@johnmonk66]

can the smartest goldfish improve the world for goldfish? no, because they won't listen

[@roymadison5686]

I'm normal, of average intelligence ....I'm surprised at how many dumb people are out there lacking common sense.. I think low I.Q. is the number one reason for poverty in the world. "You can't fix stupid". Its beyond government.

[@TeleNikon]

@@roymadison5686 - Hard to argue with that.

[@johnmonk66]

@@roymadison5686 every low IQ country is poor, and they all come here trying to make this a low IQ socialist government just like the one they fled...stupid

[@fitzhugh7463]

I hope that when I die, they make a video about me, “the man who survived with a negative iq”

[@svenvolwater5473]

SELF BURN!! ,those are rare.

[@thatonedemonchild624]

@@svenvolwater5473 they’re not rare

[@rashidimussa5143]

WTF 😂😂

[@svenvolwater5473]

@@thatonedemonchild624 its a joke🙃🤦🏿‍♂️

[@thatonedemonchild624]

@@svenvolwater5473 okay I am sorry man I miss communicated and forget this was a joke.

[@MrThrib]

Living a quiet anonymous life is not failure.

[@CJR-lx4el]

👍

[@jordanphilipperris]

👍

[@Backinblackbunny009]

Being a hermit and dying at 44 seems less than ideal

[@palestar828]

How? Please tell me that. I struggle with this. I really have lived that life like for real. Most don't even know I exist. Isolation and loneliness can be a blessing and a curse. It's not always a blessing. It's painful

[@palestar828]

​@@Backinblackbunny009thank you for the validation

[@chester1851]

Nothing went wrong. He lived the life he wanted, realizing correctly that he was under no obligation to do anything extraordinary.

[@LetsGoSomewhere87]

The life he wanted? I doubt he was ever asked, its the life he was thrown in, writing books would pretty much be his best outlet, which is what it seems he did a lot of....

[@LetsGoSomewhere87]

@@dickartist that makes sense. This video is the first time I had ever jear of this guy, it just seemed like a sad life. Thanks for the link!

[@Crazywaffle5150]

@@KimmyQueen Yes he does.

[@Crazywaffle5150]

@@KimmyQueen Genius has nothing to do with accomplishments lol..

[@Crazywaffle5150]

@@KimmyQueen Not accomplishing anything has nothing to do with his level of intelligence. There is not much do debate. That would assume that higher intelligence should and should not be used in a specific way. It's like hypothetically being the fastest runner in the world and not joining the olympics or running any races. You can still be clocked as the fastest without actually using said talent. Using an ability is not the same thing as having the ability. I feel your original argument is from insecurity, not logic.

[@Ghost_0418]

I think it’s hard for people with such high IQ’s to relate to other people and form deep meaningful connections. Must be very lonley

[@phyokyawkhaing2251]

I would say that this attitude is why he felt so bothered. Not a personal attack or anything but you can see from the comment that Sidis was put on a pedestal. "He has a higher IQ, therefore he must be different from us" Even if the original commenter didnt mean it that way, it's the sort of message that's conveyed. "He is not that same as I" "He must live a (insert either positive or negative adjective) life" Because he was treated so differently, like a foreign royalty or exotic zoo animal, i would reckon it affected him in a negative way. It would've been best to just treat him like any other person, to make him feel like he fits in. That would've been best in my opinion.

[@chadwaldron3568]

You have no idea.

[@NetralFN]

@@phyokyawkhaing2251 he call you stupid in his mind

[@wendyglatt5287]

A lot of them find partners..that’s how he was born

[@TheUniversesDaughter]

reminds me of the book flowers for algernon

[@michaelcox5166]

So a guy, incidentally a genius, decides he wants to live in seclusion and be happy, and it's somehow a huge mystery. Seems to me that says more about us than about him. Why do we think he owed us anything?

[@neilpeartspurplenose8739]

The capable are always expected to carry the burdens of the incapable on their backs. When the capable reject that notion, they are shunned by society. The dunces get to enjoy their hollow lives, and the smart are expected to toil away theirs. You've got to be damned to be truly free.

[@Nellosphere]

I would say he intentionally became a genius. I want to know his parents teaching methods.

[@Nellosphere]

At least he recorded his thoughts so we could work out his hypothesis. Did he produce any patents?

[@WaterPidez]

70th like mouhahahahahahahahhahahaga

[@kosztaz87]

@@WaterPidez What is funny about that?

[@haimause9797]

"If he's so smart, how come he's dead?" -Homer Simpson

[@chad6846]

Hai Mause people say hes so smart but he wasnt able to parry death. Pff what a newb

[@Favour135]

Granted this is a joke but it reflects a danger of society where the smartest people are often the most shunned and no one knows of their existence till they died

[@NWOTheories]

Intellectuals can't live in a world full of anti-intellectualism.

[@phd1313]

Hai Mause He isn’t dead. He found out how to transfer to the 4th dimension. The rest of us though...

[@nigonkouk1770]

Because he wasn't Mighty Mouse yo''.

[@zzulm]

The fact that geniuses quit on society says a lot.

[@Nellosphere]

People want to be told what to believe and publicity shapes peoples' opinions without them making much of an effort to establish the validity of the authors claims.

[@simonscardino6597]

They know a lot about to being roasted for no reason all time by dangerous idiots...! Haha...! 😂 😂 😂

[@techstuf4637]

You ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons.

[@simonscardino6597]

@@techstuf4637 what team are they playing?

[@simonscardino6597]

@@techstuf4637 okay, just kidding..! I heard a lot about old greeks, but sometimes philosophy becomes another religion. And estupid ppl usually kill others because some of them are just following contrary ideas. Anyway... 😂 Philosophy should be the defense of a better quality of life. 😂 😂 😂 Not a scam..! 😂

[@lemonade2473]

Imagine how frustrated he must have been, being surrounded by people who didn't understand him, and being controlled by them.

[@aerrae5608]

More like the fact that he was cognizant of that. That's literally the life we all lead now, maybe we always did.

[@MichaelWaisJr]

I dealt with that a lot. Now as a 40 year old man I am completely convinced that the educators I had in kindergarten and the 1st grade, as well as the individuals who performed my Individual Education Plans, have received their careers and credentials by performing some of the greatest blowjobs!

[@MichaelWaisJr]

Case in point: Franklin School (which was supposed to be SUCH a prestigious elementary school) was a school with a 1st grade teacher who was enormously celebrated named Mrs. Bernstein! Not only did she humiliate me by imitating me in class when I wasn’t speaking up around all the other students. She also was such a fantastic teacher that my mother saw her literally slap a child she begged to take into her class who was ADD!! Anyway, I like to believe that she lost her house and became homeless after contracting terminal rectal or brain cancer!! But hey, Franklin School right??!! Perfect school to enroll your kids into if you want them to become streetwalkers or flip burgers for a living in 18 years!! What an Ivy League school that clearly gives a shit about their goddamn students!! So you can see because of her teaching style that she had jiu-jitsu Orange or red belt cocksucking skills to be credentialed and allowed to be a teacher!!!!!

[@athenstar10]

Agree. I'm no genius but I even get frustrated being around imbeciles,😆

[@lizardog]

@@aerrae5608 it's always been like that.

[@chegeny]

“The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius.” ― Oscar Wilde

[@bellamckinnon8655]

mm, nice

[@dataexpunged6969]

Because genius shows how discrepant they themselves are, and their ego won't allow it.

[@delrasshial7200]

@@dataexpunged6969 .

[@caioporto9234]

@@dataexpunged6969This is something I learned early in life. Being the son of a mathematician, I was somewhat more advanced for my age and eventually learned that I should feign ignorance if I wanted to have friends.

[@Anti-Alphabet_Mafia]

And they love everything except Jesus.

[@TKMRacer28]

James at 11: Got into Harvard Me at 33: Can’t find the tomato sauce in the fridge but someone comes along and finds it immediately

[@Hexanitrobenzene]

Do some research about "tunnel vision".

[@jamesb2187]

@@Hexanitrobenzene 9 months late buddy

[@Ford-dc9mu]

@@jamesb2187 have you saw a comment and said hey imma reply oh nevermind it's to old I do that alot but here lately I say screw it and reply until now thank you.

[@jaredluo]

8* accepted at 11 lol

[@pooksterwookster]

@@jaredluo *9 if you’re gonna correct somebody make sure you get it right lol-

[@piggy201]

So they created a superintelligent person and when he grew up his reaction was to basically log off the human society and live anonymously... Says a lot.

[@arleybarrios2233]

VPN

[@RadenWA]

The smarter you are, the more you hate society and the system, who would've guessed.

[@meteor09]

Damn. When you put it that way...

[@IDontReadReplies42069]

@@meteor09 Ahhh the human mind, so great at creating patterns (read Michael shermer - the believing brain). Alot of these super smart freakish people hide away from the public, and most non critical people will usually interpret it as Smart = hate society Smart person hate society? Society = bad Antisocial = smart Probably because that's poetic, and gives some confirmation on their own anti-social behaviors. But has it ever occurred to you that these super smart freakish people are PESTERED constantly in the public eye with huge expectations? You're turned into a circus attraction, which is why they probably want to be secluded.

[@marthajf73]

Human societies really suck

[@TrainTsarFun]

He never got a chance to be a kid. So sad for his childhood.

[@ordinarytree4678]

Train Tsar Fun being an adult is way more fun than being a kid.

[@アメリカやイギリスを英語だ笑い方]

Ordinary Tree Not in every case.

[@NatsGhost]

? Depends on your idea of fun. I barely wanted to socialize and just wanted to read and study and I was happy. Of course I'm a complete loser now, so maybe you have a point...

[@hatoftricks7132]

Being a kid back then wasn't the greatest? He might of enjoyed his childhood.

[@htoodoh5770]

Well, once you are a adult at the time there will be a lot of social pressure. So being a kid can be good and fun but that depend on their parent.

[@tomfitzgerald8150]

I think by age 6 I finally stopped pissing my pants....

[@alexey1820]

HAH, I stoped pissing my pants at like 7-8

[@thr2648]

Awake?

[@schreckpmc]

At age 60, I started again.

[@PlanetGamingOfficial]

Age 8 or 9

[@mythicize2351]

@@PlanetGamingOfficial James is that you

[@brzpicnic]

Sounds like he really was the smartest man who ever lived.....rejected society and didn’t like people....

[@Aqib2]

ALEXANDER SMITH Wtf

[@thelastmanstanding3369]

ALEXANDER SMITH you just proved his point.

[@zacktuchannelboogaloo5632]

Original Unabomber

[@donniequalls9693]

@Amis Amis After seeing your sentence structure and punctuation, I can promise you that isn't the case. :) Edit : Punctuation ;)

[@donniequalls9693]

@Amis Amis lul nice, I was hoping you'd have a sense of humor.

[@mel2000]

"So much potential and yet he remains nothing more than a historical footnote." That's an unfair assessment of a highly accomplished author and intellectual who is still being discussed to this day.

[@lashlarue7924]

True. Nobody is ever going to remember my dumb ass when I’m gone.

[@musazwane6049]

The last 8 words: historical footnote😐

[@naninuna7440]

Nobody has to suffer for the world, he owes society nothing if it made him miserable.

[@lashlarue7924]

@@ploopploopploopboop1887 True dat. I don't wanna be remembered.

[@octilli]

@@musazwane60498 words? what are you talking about? do you mean 2? are you incapable of telling the difference between 2 and 8?

[@otto16121970]

Today i was looking for my reading glasses while holding them in my hand

[@sandilou2U]

I have used the flashlight on my phone to try to find my phone.

[@yashkaliapiano]

Happens to us all

[@otto16121970]

Stephanie Logan probably :-)

[@markhirstwood4190]

That just means you're lacking in some awareness or have a miswired connection somewhere. You can fix that. Nothing to do with super smart or super dumb.

[@louisblazejewski7884]

At least you weren't wearing them

[@budgethitman2212]

He may have simply gotten tired of explaining shit to people.

[@joyl7842]

I get tired of doing that basically after doing it the 3rd time. So doing that for so many years is still very impressive! Much respect for the ultra-smart and teachers.

[@christianvitroler5289]

Dealing with the idiocy around you can indeed be very taxing on you. I can totally relate to that and I am not a prodigy, just way above the average. Being as intelligent as those people, though, it must become really painful to deal with.... let's say... politicians or leftists or feminists or... feel free to fill in your own nemesis!

[@memamagdy307]

from good will hunting

[@funnyanimalshorts643]

He wasn't taught the right things. Read Rich Dad Poor Dad. It explains how education does not equal success. If you are busy learning 7 languages, but aren't learning how to keep good credit or learning how to deal with people socially, your future will not be a fun one.

[@LordPrometheous]

Christian Vitroler sometimes dealing with average people can feel like being surrounded by idiots. Sometimes I think that average is the new idiot. It does not require interfacing with beings of a particular political disposition; there are plenty of idiots to go around.