Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents' | James Flynn

In 1900, only 3% of Americans practiced professions that were deemed "cognitively demanding." Today, 35% of us do, and we have all learned to be flexible in the way that we think about problems. In this fascinating and fast-paced spin through the cognitive history of the 20th century, moral philosopher James Flynn makes the case that changes in the way we think have had surprising (and not always positive) consequences.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.
Find closed captions and translated subtitles in many languages at www.ted.com/translate
Follow TED news on Twitter: / tednews
Like TED on Facebook: / ted
Subscribe to our channel: / tedtalksdirector

[@Noum77]

"Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents?" TED: Showing a grandpa smarter than us

[@notsushi24]

:)

[@stephenmason5682]

And that's the problem with his talk, the present generation is shown by testing that their IQ IS lower than previous generation?

[@josedirks3973]

Insert "BRUH" sound clip

[@randomdude9135]

Ironically, since were smart enough to find out that irony, Ted's statement still holds. ;)

[@chillkaro911]

@Lets Give Meg 1 00 000 subs without video challenge Lol Good luck with 100000 Subs, You Just need 99987 more...

[@joemom2671]

This guy would be an awesome grandpa.

[@RohithRPai]

JoeMom Gosh, the same thought crossed my mind

[@everburningblue]

"PeePaw, why do people die?" "Because they stop asking questions."

[@bask9401]

Hilarious JoeMom

[@patrickc7248]

Ad you're a ageist.

[@DanielAnderssson]

but this grandpa like young boys

[@watchman-pu7tp]

I'm fascinated by people like Flynn, possessing a continuity of though enabling them to move seamlessly from one point or concept to the next, without pause, and without having to rely on notes or to stop to formulate the next thought. His is what a highly organized mind looks like.

[@istvanglock7445]

He's been saying the same stuff for years, thinking about the same stuff for years, so he's very well rehearsed. Not a detraction, but this is why he's so fluent in the subject matter.

[@omegapointil5741]

...feels like.

[@brucemarsico6]

Yeah, maybe.But I'll bet he rarely picks up his smutty socks and skid marked under pantsafter he tosses them on the floor.Genius indeed!

[@TheRABIDdude]

watchman1872 More likely he's written out this lecture in advance, edited it to flow well, and then learnt it perfectly. Wouldn't you do the same if you were offered a TED talk?

[@Brumsey99989]

There is no formulation of thought here. This is what it looks like when you've been saying the same, albeit complex stuff for decades. Do the same thing every day for 40 years and even if it's incredibly complex it's going to appear easy. One other small bit of importance here, he's wrong. IQ is currently dropping in the west. I'll leave it to you to fill in the blanks as to of why. *Hint: it's probably the first thing that popped in your head.

[@varun009]

Bet this guy tells the most profound bedtime stories. The power of his voice and speech pattern is truly something to behold.

[@elijahkeallflynn7151]

Can confirm. He is my Grandfather.

[@johnbroomhead1039]

Send u to sleep

[@iosgameska8232]

@@elijahkeallflynn7151 I did like two minutes of solid research to see if this was true and I'm pleasantly surprised! How crazy it is to see all the guy's students, and even his grandson in the comment section. Now, to the real question, does he really tell bedtime stories?

[@elijahkeallflynn7151]

@@iosgameska8232 His bedtime stories (from what I remember) were usually strange, irreverent tales featuring bizarre characters and scenarios, ranging from disturbing to mildly amusing.

[@kneeman9011]

@@elijahkeallflynn7151 Haha that's awesome!

[@SupaL33tKillar]

If this guy was my lecturer. I'D GO TO CLASS EVERY DAY. EARLIER. AND STAY BACK FOR EXTRA LESSONS.

[@misael8200]

retweet

[@thestopper5165]

+SupaL33tKillar *_right_* ? People like Prof Flynn are gems, and the few of us who encounter people like Prof Flynn (who, I'm proud to say, is a Prof at a university in my birth nation - New Zealand) usually pass the last two-thirds of their lives in gratitude for the encounter. Almost 30 years ago, I went to the first lecture in a subject I had enrolled in to fulfil a sub-major requirement. The subject was ECO2850: 'Economic and Social Issues' and the lecturer was Professor Ross Parish. I took the subject because the course title seemed like some bullshit hand-wavey essay-writing gibberish - free marks. I was a bit annoyed that the first lecture was at 4:30 on a Friday and went for 90 minutes - I didn't even bother to check the timetable when I made the subject choice. Parish came into the lecture theatre that first Friday and in mid-lecture some doors in my brain sprang open. After that first lecture I changed my major, and I have never regretted it. Parish was *that good* . Ten years later I was the person he told when his cat (Harry) died: we both cried and I hugged him. Prof Flynn has been in my personal pantheon for some time - along with Prof Parish and my PhD supervisor (Prof Peter Dixon). Prof Parish is now dead. I am an avid atheist, so I am quietly grateful to the laws of probability for the fact that I made that slightly odd subject choice in 1992. I fervently hope that Profs Dixon and Flynn survive past the point where humans virtualise (another 10 years oughta do it).

[@abdullahalsallum8570]

im in his class and I do exactly like that.

[@emad6639]

abdullah alsallum, if you are in his class can you correct his misquote about the Quran? No where in the Quran does it say a person who is raped should be sentenced to death. The Quran does NOT have protections for rapists. If he wanted to convince the "Islamic man" in his example to be more logical and have reason, he should have told the man "Please, READ the Quran and stop following your cultural traditions, because your argument is invalid PER the Quran" Everything else he said may be true, but this is definitely not true. In the video it starts at time 13:12. Please inform him of his error, and ask him to ask TED to cut that portion of this video.

[@natfailsyoutube8163]

+EM AD: Asking for a portion of the video to be cut out because it seemingly offends you seems a lot like censorship. People have a right to say things even if you think they are objectively incorrect, even if they latter decide it is incorrect (and in such case having some public record might aid further debate/discussion). Further more, I don't believe he ever suggested that the practice he referred to was in the Quran - he described the hypothetical (fictitious) case of a fundamentalist religious person refusing to consider a hypothetical that is not supported by their dogma, because no such case applied to them, and this fictitious, hypothetical person happened to conflate doctrine/dogma for scripture, as such individuals have wont to do. Suggesting ways to further debate the fictitious person misses the point, they were a device to demonstrate a particular failure to "think abstractly".

[@HunterCrim4767]

He is speaking a fluid essay.

[@saqudaa]

Hunter *fluent essay

[@HunterCrim4767]

saqudaa No, i meant fluid. His English is good though. lol

[@olivierkains1771]

What IS a fluid essay?

[@TheKillcamweek]

Olivier Kains He wrote an essay that flows well and doesnt sound robotic.

[@moslimislam5714]

Hunter He does have his reading glasses on. So it could be.

[@RidesInforests]

If Siri sounded like this i'd actually use it

[@SpaceflightSimulator]

You can change Siri into A man

[@asara8065]

@@SpaceflightSimulator Lol he’s not talking about the gender of some apple robot, it’s about the appeal of a robot which could actually sound philosophical. Unlike current mainstream bots like Siri or Alexa that can barely even schedule a meeting properly, let alone hold a conversation.

[@lindalane9496]

you can change Siri into almost any sounding voice

[@hikareti9503]

He taught me political philosophy at University, fascinating guy.

[@ChiNguyen-vw9pi]

which university did you go to?

[@boiplaying2647]

@@ChiNguyen-vw9pi He teaches in The University of Chicago.

[@zungm2880]

@@boiplaying2647 Jimmy actually teaches at University of Otago in New Zealand now! He's writing my exams which I have tomorrow which i am so screwed for

[@boiplaying2647]

@@zungm2880 Hopefully you'll do fine :)

[@KytexEdits]

@@zungm2880 Did you do fine?

[@StealthyDead]

I love this. No powerpoint needed. Just a man talking about incredibly interesting information.

[@Baamthe25th]

No useless fluff/talking to us like children like in other TED talks too. Professors are the best

[@carlolson932]

Man, this guy's speech is freaking jam packed with information

[@markstuber4731]

And some misinformation when he starts giving two sentence history lessons.

[@PaskoooDude]

really? which sentences?

[@quarkyquasar893]

I would like to know too.

[@HunterCrim4767]

Mark Stuber soooo? Which ones?

[@markstuber4731]

Hunter If I remember right, he talked as if Afghanistan has been a single enity for thousands of years and it hasn't been. Also, there have been successful military ventures into areas that are now within the current borders of Afghanistan., Also, he is a llittle loose with the definition of lies. Even then, it wasn't the Lucintania incident (by itself) that got us into World War I. Ever heard of the Letter X? There really was such a letter.

[@goodstorylover]

What a pleasure to listen to someone with enough knowledge, wit and wisdom to speak so clearly, concisely and fluently. And without any props, presentations etc. Beautiful.

[@markmoore7042]

Amazing what work ethic, IQ, and passion can bring to this world.

[@TomatoFettuccini]

And totally off-the-cuff. Way impressive.

[@KumarPawar4]

Yes. I was listening to this talk and I was so engulfed in it that my dinner got burned and my pan got so hot that the metal base was deformed!

[@zhenmeng161]

goodstorylover Yeah, it seems all sentences are in his mind~perfect

[@marisa941]

Wisdom for me is the native people who knows each leaf, each bark that cures diseases, the farmer who knows when and how to plant. My uncle lived in a farm produced all his food, broom, sponge, soap, only went to the city to buy salt. That is wisdom, things that are tangible, you use. People loosing electricity they will just die in starvation.

[@petersmythe6462]

Worth pointing out that this means we should expect the development of high IQs wherever literacy, education, and technically complex professions develop. In other words, IQ differences by country are not innate but a function of material conditions.

[@sosanamin1927]

Yes!

[@JH-jo9wt]

The science doesnt suggest that. The uncomfortable truth is that just like hair colour, eye colour, height, weight, IQ is genetic. For eg very poor under resourced Chinese peasant famer kids score higher than wealthy African Americans who live in households earning over 200k The sad part is that it is not something you can change overnight

[@AceofDlamonds]

@@JH-jo9wt You're oversimplifying this. In fact your own example of height is undercut by the fact that Northeast Asians who've experienced the greatest industrialization over the last 100 years, have grown significantly taller, approaching the stats of some European countries. But analogy aside, show us your source for the "Chinese peasant farmer" outperforming the wealthy African. And is it really appropriate to extrapolate this example to the group level? And is the "wealth" of this African obtained in the context of overall higher living and societal standards? You know, not just some dude who got rich as an outlier.

[@JH-jo9wt]

@@AceofDlamonds Your making the incorrect assumption that IQ cant change. Its well documented that African Americans have a 10 pt standard deviation higher than their African bretheren. However there seems to be a plateu in the 85 region once in the west. Just as i imagine those same asians you referenced in height will not be the 7ft monsters you routinely see in the NBA. If i showed you the source would it change your mind or are you convinced it doesnt exist. Asians scoring higher than blacks is not even up for debate. Whether it is appropriate to extrapolate to the group sample is something called statistical averages. It is appropriate? who cares this is not a topic for people who are easily offended. Its household wealth - where the median household wealth was over 200k not a single black guy who got rich🤦‍♂🤦‍♂ Why would they take a sample of 1 wealthy black guy......oh forget it

[@AceofDlamonds]

@@JH-jo9wt Where the heck am I making the assumption that IQ can't change? My own example in my first reply to you suggests I'm making the point that it DOES. Second, the NBA is not a great counteranalogy and you must know this. It's obviously a very small sample size taken from the average. Go look at the Chinese national basketball roster for men and women (Still very much a developing country by the way). They are not far off from developed countries' pro basketball heights at all, and basketball isn't even as huge there as it could be culturally speaking. I'm speaking on Averages at the Population level, the only place where all this discussion about average traits and metrics makes any sense at all, DUH. And most importantly, the point is not that there isn't an average plateau or different statistically significant cutoffs, but you have NO IDEA where that plateau should start given the same conditions for full physiological development. The best we can do is wait and observe without inserting our own biases into the data because populations are still very much changing. Countries that have been historically raped of their resources or people or have bad economic trends usually do have people not as smart as people in developed countries.

[@cumonjugs]

16:24 "And if you're ignorant of history of other countries, you can't do politics" Thank you James Flynn

[@z.deutch1334]

Yes, those who fail to know history are doomed to repeat it

[@kreaturen]

You can still be President though 😓

[@shinlanten]

I heard the *_"president of the Virgin Islands"_* thinks he's brilliant ;-)

[@bawkray]

If you don't know about Iesha, you might support Islam

[@Markus451]

It hasn't hurt Tronald Dump any.

[@MathematicianDr]

What an awesome speaker! I didn't move an inch throughout watching this, and listened with full concentration.

[@xXxTr0nxXx]

+All men Must die So he's boring if he concentrates on a topic and gains knowledge? I'd say people with no knowledge about any topics are boring.

[@LucisFerre1]

+All men Must die Because trolls are concrete thinkers that are incapable of joining in abstract-concept containing conversations.

[@khorps4756]

same, i was so glued to my seat i didnt even get up to get a drink

[@tommarcus5555]

flynn is not backed up by many people there is diff in iq among races

[@danielcopeland3544]

Flynn is one of the people researching IQ and race, and he disagrees with you, Tom Marcus.

[@danielcopeland3544]

Sadly, I have learned today that Professor James Flynn has died.

[@francosalgado9414]

he is not death my friend... he lives through his words =)

[@methheadsturmgeschuetziii593]

@@francosalgado9414 I also agree that he is not death

[@Gingnose]

His father born in 1885, wow Edit: Dr. Flynn born in 1934 so his father was 49 yo when James was born! And I knew he died 2 years ago, Rest in Peace. He is a very dedicated philosopher, thanks for the work.

[@alexmelillo1247]

As time goes on, this speech will become more and more relevant. Also, love the way this man speaks!

[@CoolGuyCoolFly]

Alex Melillo He's the White Morgan Freeman.

[@analeesedonaat6229]

Yup! Millenials are on the way.

[@rjones2209]

On the contrary this speech becomes more and more wrong. Dr Flynn's theory is fundamentally incorrect in important ways. You can see the correct understanding in this paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886915001622 and you can download a free copy of it at www.researchgate.net/publication/273789709_Rising-falling_mercury_pollution_causing_the_rising-falling_IQ_of_the_Lynn-Flynn_effect_as_predicted_by_the_antiinnatia_theory_of_autism_and_IQ

[@gistfilm]

As time goes on, Flynn is more and more discredited...

[@Doomcraftian]

His voice is like a crisp buttered bagel

[@roycbiv]

Perpetua Lux this simile would not have worked 100 years ago

[@dddmemaybe]

wtf lol, this is so weird but also weirdly accurate.

[@BelaCurcio]

Now I wish I could hear him say "crisp buttered bagel"

[@markkeen341]

Paul Harvey - like tone- Great radio voice.

[@pcnav4095]

I didn't experience that.

[@lunasacra9471]

Wow! weird concept to think about, I honestly have had debates with my grandparents about morals and using logic and hypotheticals never works. I never stopped to think that they don't think this way.

[@52darcey]

Luna - have you checked out MBTI personality types too? The S/N perceiving function explains this difference in method of understanding too.

[@Eleanor-zh3vj]

@@52darcey mbti is pseudoscientific bullshit

[@starx8775]

I honestly think ... and yes I'm being all conspiracy here, that the Tartarian theory is right. Our generation is just closer to how we were before most societies were re-structured into corporatism. Because men of old and classic philosophy is all about logic, morals, hypotheticals etc. Grandparents, if they had such a lovely traditional era as they say, should be aware of that to some extent. Of course it depends on class too, I guess we have more access to it with the online world

[@AM-fh7ek]

@@starx8775 people back in the day didn't even have school everywhere and even if they did, they stayed at home and helped with work so the family could survive and not starve. My grandmother raised almost all of her siblings as a child when having a blind mother and living in a run down house. Lifr was much more different, not to mention the wars. Learn history first.

[@Valchrist1313]

@@starx8775 Guess you've never read Plato's Republic... I doubt you and he would agree all that much on morality and ethics. "Socrates claims that any illness requiring constant medical attention is too unhealthy to be worth living. By analogy, any society that requires constant litigation is too unhealthy to be worth maintaining. Socrates asserts that both male and female guardians be given the same education, that all wives and children be shared, and that they be prohibited from owning private property Socrates presents the 'Noble Lie' to convince everyone in the city to perform their social role. All are born from the womb of their mother country, so that all are siblings, but their natures are different, each containing either gold (guardians), silver (auxiliaries), or bronze or iron (producers). If anyone with a bronze or iron nature rules the city, it will be destroyed. Socrates claims that if the people believed "this myth...[it] would have a good effect, making them more inclined to care for the state and one another. Finally, Socrates defines justice in the city as the state in which each class performs only its own work, not meddling in the work of the other classes" -human reproduction ought to be regulated by the state and all offspring should be ignorant of their actual biological parents Socrates tells a tale which is the "allegory of the good government". The rulers assemble couples for reproduction, based on breeding criteria. Thus, stable population is achieved through eugenics and social cohesion is projected to be high because familial links are extended towards everyone in the city. Also the education of the youth is such that they are taught of only works of writing that encourage them to improve themselves for the state's good, and envision (the) god(s) as entirely good, just, and the author(s) of only that which is good.

[@iwantaplushia8307]

Rest in peace, Flynn

[@rumble1925]

I'm watching this and all I can think of is the huge difference in the quality of this talk and the average TEDx talk.

[@MrCmon113]

Because it's a TED talk without the X. TEDx is people talking about how bad masturbating is and how they are Muslim feminists etc.

[@jamescarmody4713]

You like this because it's philosophy; know that many TED Talks do not deal with such universal subject matter, while many TEDx Talks do. I've seen TED Talks that were underwhelming and TEDx Talks that blew me away. Flynn essentially gave this talk rather than write a book-I think you can agree even most TED Talks can't claim the same.

[@274pacific]

You mean you didn't like the ones about how to tie your shoes or dry your hands with one paper towel? Mild shock :o

[@matthewanderson7123]

So I can explain at least part of that. Prof. Flynn has been a University lecturer and author for the better part of forty years. He also spends a chunk of time testifying in the US about this topic as the US does not execute those below a certain IQ level - Flynn argues that the level was set years ago and therefore should be higher. Prof Flynn taught for years Pols 101 (political philosophy) and Pols 205 (Morality and the Market). I know this because I’m lucky enough to say I attended both those classes

[@Gqunu]

Thanks Prof James Flynn for your talk! I am from Africa, I can see the benefits of an education, in things like life choices and healthy life styles, even conflict resolution, and the ability to advance in life. Education is definitely something beneficial to humans.

[@fryingraijin]

Certified badass. He just walked off. What

[@farticlesofconflatulation]

Kirkology mic drop

[@UWfalcin]

Probably assburgers.

[@pdx96]

lol I know right? What about the QA session?

[@jonasdj11]

Our IQ's might have become higher, but we'll never again match this level of savageness.

[@jonasdj11]

@S. O. Me neither, but the way he just took off was enough for me to get the message somehow

[@robinannaniaz9670]

For a long time I hadn't have the feeling of being mentored by a wise teacher. If I had read his material, I'd have imagined him looking exactly like this: wise grandpa with white beard. During this 18 minutes, I feel like I grew a decade. Thank you so much Mr. Flynn

[@SirPage13]

This man is brilliant! Very interesting speech!

[@strewf]

+Levi Page That's what they said at Nuremberg.

[@strewf]

***** Maybe they should make the IQ tests more mixed child-oriented. Racism won't go away until fear goes away. Your post is the modern equivalent of a tribe of naked men waving spears and sticking tongues out at strangers approaching.

[@anguskappa5637]

da faq, dude i am mixed and have an IQ of 157

[@anguskappa5637]

also removing this comment, agaisnt youtube rules

[@strewf]

SuperXrunner I don't have a low IQ.

[@zengamer321]

We need to teach philosophy in school. At least logic.

[@zengamer321]

***** Yeah. My high school offered philosophy but not all schools do. More than that though, I think it needs to be mandatory. In my school, it was mandatory to learn rhetorics but not logic. That's kinda backwards isn't it? Learn to lie but not how to find the truth.

[@indre_7077]

we got to choose between religious classes and so called ethics here, they're mandotory, in ethics we basicly talked about philosophy and psycology which was nice... :)

[@zengamer321]

_dnimfoetats _ "choose between religious class and ethics" lol that's hilarious. Hey there! Do you wanna learn about what you should do according to reason or dogma?

[@indre_7077]

antimatterdragon321 yeah I also went to a religious school and we studied and recited the bible for an hour once a week and did our prayers every morning before the classes started... it's ridiculous tbh :/

[@SkyTheBlessed]

In my country philosophy, logic, sociology, psychology, history, geography and constitution(of varying types and from many nations, includes human rights aswell) are core. I think those are really important for a developing citizen which will have the right to influence the politics in the country or pursue academic goals.

[@Tchild2]

I could listen to James Flynn all day. Lucid, straightforward and almost no ummms or uhhhs.

[@beachbum4691]

"WOW" And people wonder that KZbin is displacing television amongst those who like Informative programmes/Documentaries. Thank you James Flynn for your logic based eloquence.

[@stephenraymond8414]

As long as they would just leave eveyone alone they dont like or agree with...

[@johnnastrom9400]

John -- While there is a lot of good content on KZbin, this presentation by Flynn is not one of them. The ideas he presents here are widely disputed. Recent studies are pointing to a drop in IQ in western countries.

[@BelaPuma]

@john nastrom well yea america

[@johnnastrom9400]

@@BelaPuma-- "western countries" includes Europe also. Look it up.

[@FredPlanatia]

@@johnnastrom9400 According to Wikipedia the reversal of this trend in IQ test performance over generations was observed in certain countries, Denmark, German-speaking countries, Australia being among them starting in the 1990's. That there was a general increase in performance from generation to generation since the beginning of testing seems undisputed. The aforementioned reversal in certain 'western countries' has been attributed to cultural changes which reduce performance on certain parts of the test. However the general trend of increasing performance has continued in most other countries. So your statement that these ideas are 'highly disputed' and that this presentation is 'not good content' seems unwarranted.

[@claudealpha2090]

Speech increased to 100.

[@kevinsaysyuh]

Passive skill: when giving an explanation hp, atk, and def +120%; atk +12% per right point made

[@galanoth17]

This guy seems like a wise sage that you see in cartoons that tells parables to the children to teach them moral lessons. He's got the posture, the voice, the hair and everything.

[@shamsulislam1350]

I wish I would have a grandpa like him. What a wonderful speech. Love it.

[@garthdownton8645]

" the more I know the less I understand, all the things I thought I'd figured out I have to learn again"... Heart of the Matter. Don Henley!

[@robertbohrer7501]

Eighteen minutes, excellent presentation, stays on topic, completely winging it? This guy is an amazing speaker.

[@josephdavidson3608]

Who says he's winging it???

[@Micras08]

I highly doubt he is winging it. I believe the guy has memorized most of his material by working within the same frame of mind day in and day out :)

[@MatthewR8864]

who else loves this guys voice. Him and Morgan Freeman together would be amazing.

[@jamesof7seven]

+matt rashty yeah, a nice, rhythmic fast clip... like a conman.

[@Crick1952]

+Winston Smith Exactly! They know how to speak!

[@louiswouters71]

There´s a touch of stephen hawkings voice in there as well.

[@SlidingSilver]

Louis Wouters His voice right now is just a robotic program able to read his mind to some extent so it can tell you what he wants to say. It's slightly inaccurate, though. Not as inaccurate as AutoCorrect, but not perfect.

[@ThePhilBest]

The New Zealand accent is part of it (this guy grew up there). Have a look at a video of a famously eloquent NZ Prime Minister, David Lange, at the Oxford Union Debate. Different tone of voice, but same accent.

[@coreyfleener6685]

Not to be a stickler but I didn't see a correction made in the comments; the final quote is not from Charles Dickens (1812-1870), rather it is from Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) in a short poem entitled The Ladies.. Fun Fact: Kipling also wrote The Jungle Book volumes

[@ncedwards1234]

It was made in the subtitles, thought most people don't use those.

[@jaygagne8449]

I always use the subtitles

[@donwhitmire978]

My 5 year old grandson drew a complex scribble picture that looked something like a lot of machines with conveyor belts. He called it a "contraption" and spent some time explaining what it did. I loved him and happily accepted the absurd as common sense and actually began to understand his "contraption". It all made perfect sense until he stopped talking and I really had to hug him.

[@KosmicAura]

This guy has so much swag

[@tyler-iy4jk]

He put his finger on something that i've experienced in many online debates but was never able to concretely realize. It's futile to debate with some people who can't consider hypotheticals, and that it's a common thread between racist and bigots.

[@zipzap8937]

Once you're willing to believe something that is untrue you can't then reason your way out of it.

[@johncharleson8733]

Nichy Steves Or maybe the "smart" set is not willing to acknowledge it's hidden bias/desires--thus using the appearance of reason as a method of fostering a hidden agenda!

[@tyler-iy4jk]

John Charleson That sounds like post modernist crap. How can you argue against a suspected hidden agenda and not the merit of the argument? Use examples instead of speaking so cryptically. To me(assuming from context) it appears you're characterizing people who are not racist as having a hidden agenda. To respond to that, of course they have an agenda it's not meant to be hidden. Some may have alternative motives acting on a purely performative basis, but how can you strawman all with that characterization?

[@mykofreder1682]

It's the industrialization of the education that started about the time IQ tests were invented. Countries saw their success and ability to compete against their neighbors or world based on education level, it was positive feedback on improving education. The education system used success, studies and scientific method to produce a standard, effective product over time. You could take a 1 week cave baby from 20000 years ago and deliver it to a suburban family and that person would probably get through our system and probably come out with typical results.

[@st3ppenwolf]

SJWs go to the other extreme and everything is a hypothetical for them.. everything should be looked at through the lens of postmodernism

[@Chimonger1]

Huh...very good talk! Helps explain why my dad often discredited my ideas...it never occurred to me, way back then, that he simply couldn’t open his mind on some things...he was very similar to this guy, but stuck on some things... I remember, in the 1950’s, telling dad, “it sure looks like all the continents used to all fit together...now the continents are like puzzle pieces fallen out of their box”....he said, emphatically, “that’s impossible! There’s no proofs that continents move like that!” But not much more than about 10 yrs later, science did prove it. And so much more!

[@littlemrpinkness295]

This is the most intelligent and insightful TED Talk I have ever heard. This is endlessly enlightening. I'm going to need to mull this over, and watch it a couple more times. I've never felt so excited and illuminated at the end of a TED Talk.

[@kingy002]

Search his interviews out with Kim Hill here in New Zealand. There are two podcasts of her interviewing James. He had such a crisp intellect.

[@luclachapelle8065]

We stand on the shoulders of giants. Everyone learns about Newton’s laws of motion in 6th grade. However many years ago that was on the cusp of theoretical thought. Newton was significantly more intelligent than the average sixth grader, except he didn’t have the same information available to him.

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

Luc Lachapelle you just learn about it or apply it, but Newton invented it...huuuge difference.

[@mrnayger5690]

So what's your point? Newton was a one-off genius in his time, don't compare him to an average sixth grader

[@dddmemaybe]

The point is one that James Flynn constantly (low-key albeit) references to in this video. About people these days having exceptionally greater tools of learning in pretty much every field (except for teacher-power in the vast majority of public schooling and somewhat college too, but that's just my angle 'ere in parenthesis). The problem with op's comment is that schools have been using isaac newton's junk from 1800's~, at least most likely, I can't be certain to be honest.

[@faoladh5177]

@@TheTariqibnziyad Not to detract from Newton but he didn't invent "it"! He observed/discovered the behavior of objects and energies in the physical realm and documented those observation. And though he was a mathematical genius and had the forethought to document those observations, any 6th grader is intuitively aware of many of those principles also, and also through observation, albeit subconsciously. Children make hand fans and paper planes displaying an intuitive understanding of aero dynamics, and fluid dynamics. Children learn not to touch hot things through experience, displaying at least a simple understanding of thermodynamics. Children learn through experience an understanding of Gravity as they tend to fall down a lot during their first years. Centuries and in some cases millenia before Isaac Newton was born there were ships, houses, architectural megaliths, astronomy and even electricity. All displaying an understanding of physics at least on par with Newton. Newton merely canonised these long understood principles into laws of physics.

[@Giemma3]

@erijon3 lol no. Newton and Einstein were geniuses way more capable than you, me and 100 others put together. They had half or even less the tools availiable we have. Newton invented calculus by the time he was 26. Im a year younger and can barely differentiate and integrate simple equations. Just face it: there are stupid people in this world. And by stupid I really mean "not capable of higher thought". There are also very fucking intelligent ones. And then there's us, average persons. I guess ;)

[@philschwartz6874]

One of the best TED presentations I've seen. Kudos Mr. Flynn

[@Peace-oz5mt]

Other ted talkers need to learn something from this talk! No unfunny jokes , no excessive hand gestures, no images ! But far more attention seeking Pure Informational speech !

[@D-Vinko]

Entertainment makes you remember things better. Logistically, this talk is worse than the others. He SHOULD'VE used entertainment as to force memory.

[@jack.1.]

But not many talkers can do what he did and the hand gestures and images will be better for their presentation than a pure speech in many cases

[@MarkSmith-ud4sd]

He has a fluidity of speech that rolls off the tongue. Very easy to follow which is hard to do when making complex issues palatable to the average layman.

[@Midnight_Rider96]

Better nutrition is a factor as well. Unfortunately it seems that people's moral loyalties are more up for grabs, since they can appreciate arguments that appear universal and logical, but lack the analytical ability to get to the bottom and make rational judgments.

[@theman1860]

This is an underrated comment! You've pinpointed the source of the problem. The solution could be to implement critical thinking classes in college and high school to teach people how to sort out the difference between what appears to be logical and universal and what actually is. I often find myself in these cognitive pitfalls where I ascribe to a certain idea because it seems appealing and rational at the time, but later on realize that I was completely naive/wrong (inefficient way of thinking).

[@thishandleistaken1011]

@@theman1860 A critical thinking class I think would have to consist of a statistics class, going over common statistical biases and the like. As well as just examples of cognitive biases, examples of pitfalls, etc. You can't really "teach" thinking so much as show people towards it.

[@theman1860]

@@thishandleistaken1011 You actually can teach it! Well, sort of. There's definitively a method to the madness as they say. What you said is really helpful, teaching people the common cognitive biases and basic statistical analysis would be very beneficial. However, you can also teach people how to break down a problem into individual components or smaller problems and tackle each on its own. Teaching people critical thinking strategies (like they do in Business Schools and in literature majors) would be a good idea. If you want to develop it even further, you can go so far as to teach people abstract thinking and various research methodologies as well as how to read research papers and where to access them. My old high school used to incorporate critical thinking into their courses. For example, math problems would force you to think outside the box, using what you learned to derive the answer. Similarly, language courses (such as English and French) used to incorporate critical thinking through comprehension problems. You're given a text/excerpt and then you're asked some questions to test your understanding of said text. Some of those questions would force you to follow statements within the text to their logical conclusions to find the answer.

[@tangguhsulthan5013]

Heterosis made brain evolving and iq increase

[@dabisnit]

Less lead in paint and gasoline

[@drdyno85]

Rest in peace, wise man! James Flynn (1934-2020)

[@xeno2752]

The people he's talking about did not disappear. TED-Ed's riddle videos comment section is full of them.

[@aleksythehorse5984]

They're joking. It's obvious what riddle asks for but it's entertaining to find a work-around using common sense.

[@prof.m.ottozeeejcdecs9998]

Right, and one of them is TRUMPf...😋

[@DonOmarRamiro]

I had to pause every 3 or 4 minutes to let his ideas sink in. How flawless, seamlessly he goes from one idea to another one is amazing. A well-organized mind, he has.

[@cesarmaldonadomercad]

Precious talk. Thank you for sharing.

[@poobum9857]

one of the best TT thanks professor - presented in a genuine natural way

[@SorryDukeLe]

ACT and SAT

[@ScrapComputer]

Powerful. History is the great teller :)

[@vebsan8821]

dont use your time on this old man, make me some league videos xd

[@truth364]

smart people!! I don't understand why he said who have you ever know who woke up in the morning?????? that means he wakes up really late in the morning so that he doesn't know who has woken up first?? I DONT GET IT!!

[@warwickthekingmaker7281]

probably not. Thing is, as terms of living get better in the third world, their population boom starts to decline, until eventually it will stagnate.

[@hackeritalics]

Justina Choi what he actually said is "How many people have you seen wake up Black in the morning. " This is to show that they were unable to feel empathy for their black brothers and sisters because they couldn't consider what it is like to be black. They couldn't say "If my skin was black i would be treated inferior in ways unrelated to my appearance and that would make me sad. " He is showing that they couldn't take the hypothetical seriously. I hope that answered your question.

[@omarvillegasjimenez482]

ScrapComputer I

[@Rozegolden]

I would love to just sit down with this grandpa and have him talk to me all day. His voice is so soothing and he’s just so full of wisdom and knowledge.

[@vu3atg835]

4:00 resisting possible categories and sticking to only pragmatic categories 5:12 resisting hypothesis and speculation 5:53 resisting abstractions and manipulating the abstractions ie not analyzing ie not breaking stuff into parts and trying to put it together to understand it

[@lexn5739]

There was no Rick&Morty 60 years ago

[@KLBjordan7]

wobba lobba dub dub \m/

[@terrymoose6651]

Top kek.

[@bikalimark]

200IQ for everyone

[@treck87]

Rick and Morty is for low IQ idiots who are always "bored" and need to be entertained, so they find out a few things through a sarcastic cartoon.

[@gamercatsz5441]

+ Kaleb Soehardjo Are you in pain? Do you need help?

[@tristanmoller9498]

This guy should narrate documentaries

[@ArabXian]

Oh lord... what do you want him to do? Put everyone to sleep???

[@prof.m.ottozeeejcdecs9998]

@@ArabXian ...and you are a very ignorant person... one of those he mentioned! No harm done, as you did not get it! 😋

[@aquilazyy1125]

That would be a waste of such a fascinating mind

[@heatherasay8939]

what an absolutely captivating voice!. I could listen to him all day.. would love to take his class.

[@lenabruening5942]

This guy is so cool. Also, anyone else tired of old people saying that we are less intelligent than them for whatever random reason? Our minds get so much more exercise in this generation because we use hypotheticals and we think about the improbable.

[@sigurdfyllingkarstad2694]

What a speaker! I've had many problems speaking to the previous generations because they didn't take the hypothetical seriously. It's so freaking annoying!

[@talknight2]

Tell me about it. Grandma: "You need a degree". Me: "I already have a good job and a lifestyle I enjoy without getting a degree." Grandma: "But you need a degree." Apparently you're not a REAL person until you have a university degree.

[@ignacioramirezbautista2056]

IKR...happens all the time

[@goombapizza6335]

Hear hear. With people who can't abstract, it's best just to avoid arguments with them. It's like talking to a brick wall. Would you try to teach a chimp calculus? Save yourself the frustration.

[@omegapointil5741]

Careful, speculating is how religion defends itself, often resorting to agnosticism to exploit the mysteries.

[@SueMoseley]

Fascinating talk.

[@zaynabshaik5340]

What an engaging speaker, brilliant!

[@Salmontres]

never actually heard the flynn effect discussed by flynn himself. Rest in peace my brother!

[@mauricioprado6395]

**drops mic, wals away**

[@Shadow-zf5uc]

Yes, many people often "wals" away after they're done talking.

[@2thomask]

+Shadow 2550 it would have been better if he waltzed away

[@MrNeutross]

Great Talk! He doens't sound like the typical Ted-speaker who almost all of them have a similar way of speaking

[@dirtrockground4543]

RIP James Flynn

[@princenegi1886]

He speaks with such rhythm.Just enormously inspiring.

[@birhan2006]

James Flynn just dropped the mic

[@RedShadowz007]

Man walks away, true badass

[@christopherhorruitiner1067]

Going back even further, low performance was linked with poor nutrition.

[@halgraves4800]

Now a days excesive nutrition is the scurge of many nations as seen in the rise of methabolic diseases and stupidity is also as widespread.

[@VarisLux]

Living on a farm with fresh bacon and eggs for breakfast, freshly made bread and nearly all food was organic with fresh milk and in season. Water came out of a well. All food was cooked by your mother or wife. How is that bad nutrition compared to the junk food of today?

[@ncedwards1234]

@@VarisLux How many people had freshly made food like that every day back then? How many people were starving then compared to now?

[@brentmcgee1534]

you gonna get on a boat and ride across the ocean for two months , live with no air conditioning wearing layers of crap , no fridge . they was hard core

[@joeallen7172]

@@halgraves4800 I think you'll find that it was the older generations that voted in trump.

[@dennylou1888]

Great talk and spread of good information!

[@lalala13131315]

Wow. He’s so well spoken and fluent it’s very interesting to listen to him. Doesn’t even have to rely on gestures or orator tricks.

[@genewarrior354]

RIP, James Flynn.

[@roberttompkins6489]

The only thing wrong with his thesis is that although I have a PhD in biology, and thus considered more educated than my ancestors, my grandfather with a 4th grade education could build a chicken coop, work on a car, build furniture, raise and slaughter animals, till the earth, and many other skills that I would have much difficulty performing. So, am I really smarter than he was?

[@ericloveday3647]

No. All knowledge is valuable. Self sufficiency though is a dying asset. We could stand to regain some of that knowledge

[@Impala-qp9cb]

Yeah he basically threw the industrial age generation under the bus. You know, the one that championed the internal combustion engine and their kids who rocketed man to the moon barely weened off of horse travel. Meanwhile Doctors in the same time frame were selling snake oil and he dares throw in lecturers as one of the 4 cognitive groups to exist circa 1900, who are usually lifetime academics usually with little hands on LEARNING experience outside of theory. Everyone has their place. While I don't doubt humans are getting smarter as time goes on, comparing current generations to those 100 years ago to dunces compared to us is intellectually ignoring the complete spectrum of humanity over time and its variables.

[@RenAok]

I remember this was one of the first ted talk I watched. awesome

[@Snipe4261]

Thanks, that was really interesting.

[@emmanueltrejo3531]

very interesting analysis, salute from Mexico

[@TheSateef]

interesting that this was made in 2013 but the last part where he talked about people's lack of knowledge about world history and its consequences politically, could not be more relevant, now the American's are thinking of electing someone who thinks he 'has a good brain and knows the best words' and loves the poorly educated.

[@EvansRowan123]

Alright, so, historical context: historically, when someone who's made multiple stupid-sounding statements is elected to office, exactly how big a disaster is it for the country where they take power?

[@wakeupscreaming9883]

Hillary? I know, right?

[@quinnoutram5618]

I 100% Agree, I saw a video on Facebook recently which highlighted peoples lack of historical knowledge where the presenter went around interviewing trump supporters. In this interview the presenter quoted several famous quotes from hitler and said they were from trump and asked the supporters if they agreed with what "trump" had said and why. Every supporter stood up and said yes this is a fantastic quote and began to defend it. After they defended the quote the presenter told the supporters that the quotes were actually from Hitler during his reign of Germany. All of the supporters had just directly agreed with hitlers ideology just because trumps name was attached to it with no knowledge of the significance of these quotes or how similar trumps and hitlers views are in several area's. Some of the trump supporters even knew thus and proceed to defend hitlers quotes once told they were from hitler. Its a scary place when people can't recognise the patterns of a repeat in history.

[@MrSkaterCat]

i hate to break it to ya but theres a video showing that those were actors much like the pranks you see online.

[@ausraider]

+Keyton Bush hitler was not an atheist nor was he a vegetarian. Do research please.

[@JoachimKessel]

Simply Brilliant!

[@BULLAKI]

Great guy. I interviewed Flynn a few days ago. What happened with his latest book was really unfortunate!

[@movere358]

So this is the guy who coined the *"Flynn Effect."*

[@saltyman7888]

did he make it or was it named after him im not sure

[@thomasrichardson5425]

He didnt make it, its a phenomenon that happens and he discovered it :) it's like Newton didnt make gravity :P

[@saltyman7888]

Thomas Richardson no what i mean is: did he COIN the term himself or was it named for him? We don't call it the Newton force.

[@minhucovu6321]

we call the unit of force Newton xD

[@VinceTheMincer]

Yes he did coin the Flynn effect. He is currently a professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand

[@jamesashton9546]

12:47 I suddenly love this guy

[@fahimrezwankhair7344]

Enlightening!

[@tresajessygeorge210]

THANK YOU SIR...!!!

[@ethicalphytophage]

Great talk. I think he meant Kipling, not Dickens.

[@alexvossmeyer787]

I thought it was just me. Pretty ironic in context...

[@ilauronen9825]

This really helped me empathize more and understand why my boomer mom thinks and acts and doesn't understand the way I live.

[@dddmemaybe]

I think this is my favorite Ted talk of all time.

[@johna7450]

Reward systems have changed. With new motivations, come new focuses of personal attention.

[@DustinRodriguez1_0]

This was a very fascinating talk. I've recently been considering that although we are very good at conveying information thanks to technology, many of our problems stem from an inability to actually communicate. The difference being that communication lets both parties understand the topic equally, or at least understand the other persons position in detail and with all nuance that there is in it. I was hoping this was a problem technology could be made to solve. But... now I'm not so sure. Perhaps the problem is, instead, that there are large numbers of people who don't have some of these intellectual capabilities described? I've noticed that in online discourse metaphor is almost completely useless. People point out where the metaphor breaks down, that the two compared/contrasted things are not the same in some way, and think that makes the whole point nonsense. In college I majored in Computer Science, but I also studied Philosophy. I got strange looks, but philosophy has always interested me greatly and I was paying for it, so I went for it. While studying it, and also while reading about other topics that interest me, I was repeatedly struck by realizations that the things claimed were actually meant as they were claimed. Understanding a worldview or mindset that is very different from your own is really a difficult thing. It is easy enough to read a few things and think you understand what is being said, but you naturally understand it more in the vein of what a modern person would mean if they were saying the same thing. You automatically assume that the things which aren't mentioned are still all the same. You read something like "Homosexual acts were punished by imprisonment or execution" and you immediately jump to 'they thought there were people who were homosexuals, and they thought those people were bad'... which is utterly and totally wrong. All that was said, and all that was meant, was that such acts were crimes and harshly punished ones. They didn't say, and didn't believe, that it set a person apart as a fundamentally different kind of person. They didn't even have a concept of 'orientation'. They didn't assume that committing such acts implied anything about the persons ability to lead a "normal" life with getting married and having kids any more than we assume a thief is incapable of holding a job and making normal purchases as some fundamental aspect of their being. Learning history and the views of the people of the past is some real intellectual exercise. It is never as easy as it seems it should be to understand how our own ancestors saw the world. I often like to imagine how the future will think of us now, how they will get it wrong and assume we must have seen things... but for now, I suppose it might be more useful to find out HOW and WHY these intellectual advances occurred. Otherwise, how could we guard against their loss? Or at least make those gains more universally available to all?

[@TheGameFreak013]

so he is basically saying that the IQ tests dont actually tell you how smart your brain is but how your culture and/or socio-economic environment has taught you to think?

[@wb4882]

bingo.

[@SexycuteStudios]

It's a measure of someone's ability to learn.

[@nihilistcentraluk442]

@@SexycuteStudios but your ability to do so is not independent of your social and cultural environment.

[@faoladh5177]

Nope, he is saying that the squishy hardware in your skull hasn't evolved since the last generation, but the software has.

[@kooroshrostami27]

consequently that would actually mean that they aren't IQ tests at all, not if IQ is a stable constant for intelligence that doesn't change due to education and knowledge.

[@heatherhill3]

Yes your protect me with amazing information content and presentations

[@SuperJpzee]

Awesome watch.

[@MattRoszak]

I've only heard about the Flynn Effect from Steven Pinker, this is my first time seeing him talk about it personally. He's a good speaker!

[@tastyballs4697]

Steven Pinker is badass.

[@dothedeed]

Definitely one of the best TED talks I've watched.

[@edmis90]

What was so good in it? It was all irrelevant - most of that speach doesn't change anything and it's not even usefull. It's interesting information - for sure - but if you wouldn't have heard this speach nothing would have changed for you.. at all.... except 18minutes of your life. There is one exception though. The speach about the ignorance about history and his given examples. That was good. But it was like 1 minutes of all the 18minutes speach. With the remaining 17 minutes - I would gladly trade those for something else. Except that it was interesting - in what way else it was good or "best"?

[@randomguy1232466]

edmis90 Why does it have to be useful to be good?

[@cristixyz]

edmis90 **throws an opinion the other way** Go get it, boy!

[@N0b1s]

This is unbelievably fascinating.

[@OldSkoolF]

Inventions and discoveries of the past have expanded our thought choices. Openness to thinking in unproven ways.

[@badbrad5424]

In 1985 to pass kindergarten I had to know my abc’s. My daughter is in kindergarten right now, she can read on a 6 th grade level. It blows my mind to see the difference between then and now.

[@PaigeKayeBroker]

as long as the deep comprehension is there..these days sound/symbol correspondence passes for thinking and testing well way too early

[@YusefRhymer]

This seems kind of like the shift in cognitive style from medieval to renaissance. Medieval = holistic, everything is seen as interrelated as well as sharing a dualistic realm with the sacred Renessance = secular, independance of objects from world, beginning of scientific thought. Interesting tho that places like China still see things as interrelated but still function in the field of technology so I guess they are cognitively flexible

[@simonbeech1796]

Maybe you're talking about cognitive dissonance, people are capable of holding different and even contradictory thoughts and opinions at the same time. The real shift in thought and the one which we arguably still benefit from the most was the Enlightenment which came after the Renaissance.

[@TorianTammas]

YusefRhymer - The Chinese never had the intolerance of monotheism that deal in dogmas and theologian makes statements about the world, because some story makes claims.

[@akshatshah3717]

*_sighs_* _Europeans_

[@TheLalindra]

Good talk!

[@jonahansen]

What a good speaker! What a great presentation!

[@willmurrin9344]

He does recently. Man was influencing. His later works went beyond the study of intelligence and became a critique of the human condition.

[@FujibearGames]

what's interesting is that we are getting smarter according to tests, but still acting dumber in real life.

[@talknight2]

Good point. Life is just easy and safe now thanks to technology and progressive laws, so you don't have to be so damn serious all the time to survive :D

[@PDeRop]

Did those who say something is dumb.. also get smarter?

[@johnpclark9700]

A first class lecture delivered by a person who has trained to be very articulate. Clear information as he sees it.

[@46wireboy]

As he spins it.

[@PaigeKayeBroker]

LISTEN UP.... great perspective... hard to come by this kind of wisdom and data science -thank you. Powers that be, please clone this man's perspective, allowance, understanding, tolerance and passion to show us how we humans are transforming (albeit slowly...) and growing up

[@nfactorial4074]

my fave ted talk ever. so interesting