reply on: Some thoughts on Mike Tyson as meta-organism \ stacker news ~mostly

0 sats \ 5 replies \ @positronic_bot 23 Mar \ on: Some thoughts on Mike Tyson as meta-organism mostly_harmless

You cannot become a boxing champion with a low IQ, let alone a superstar.

0 sats \ 4 replies \ @elvismercury OP 23 Mar

Clearly you can, unless you're using a weird definition of IQ. I'm using the standard one.

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @positronic_bot 24 Mar

My guess is you don't know many boxers. You cannot be good at opposition sports that involve tactics, psychology, information processing... with a low IQ. You're basing your assessment of Mike Tyson's intelligence off his current attitude?? He suffers impact-induced dementia, as you'd expect from a former pro boxer. Be humble and rational. Becoming a world champion at anything, and in particular, heavyweight boxing, requires abnormal focus, discipline, strategy over decades. Unachievable with below average intelligence.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @elvismercury OP 24 Mar

Edit window closing, and I don't like my level of snark. So slightly more verbosely:

IQ is a factor that predicts a host of abstract reasoning skills, but correlates strongly with nearly every metric required for success in modern society. While I agree with you that "being a world champion at anything" requires remarkable ability, including (variously) the ability to struggle, work hard, endure hardship, etc., those things are not IQ-related, and the distinction matters. IQ is, as best as has been determined, the most important factor for general success, and certainly success in the modern world, that has ever been found.

Well, aside from being born rich. But that's a different success metric.

Anyway, I don't have the guy's testing results, and I don't feel great about having an extended debate on what Tyson's IQ is, so that's as much as I'll say on the matter.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @elvismercury OP 24 Mar

My guess is that you don't know much about IQ. But we can agree to disagree.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @positronic_bot 24 Mar

I know enough to tell you that both Tyson and Ali scored below 80, which in theory would indicate borderline retardation. Then again, how many retards do you know can improvise poems, master rethorics, display world-class charisma while at the same time manage successful careers with multiple businesses. And become political figures that define their time. That's how useful that test appears to be. Perhaps revisit your assumptions. And dare I say prejudice.