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Intelligence and Success: False Causes, True Causes
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Ilya Shambat
May 12, 2012, 3:53:00 AM5/12/12
to
Many ideas about the causes of intelligence and success are wrong.
This is as much the case for those who have negative outlook as it is
for those who believe that they are positive.
There have been times and places in which having a brain was equated
with cynicism and skepticism; or in which intelligence was equated
with being morose. In both cases brains did not develop through an
embrace of that attitude. One can be cynical, skeptical or morose and
still be a complete idiot. Whereas there have been many brilliant
people in history who did not have such worldviews.
Then there are those who believe that they know what creates success,
and that it is self-esteem and a positive attitude. There's a problem
with that explanation as well. Many of the most successful people in
history and humanity's greatest contributors did not come from a place
of high self-esteem or a positive attitude; and instead of creating
successful people, this mentality creates a bunch of neon balloons and
Amway salesmen who may or may not be successful but are universally
annoying and typically in denial of many important things.
Having known many intelligent and successful people, I have found that
the most intelligent ones are ones who consistently work on their
intelligence and add to their knowledge as well as to understanding
and applying its implications. This is the case regardless of whether
they are cynical or idealistic, positive or negative, or do not
believe in being either. With successful people, what I've found the
most present is drive, ingenuity, perseverance and courage. This is as
much the case for Vladimir Vysotsky who had a dark view of things as
it is the case for Steven Jobs who had a much more sunny worldview.
With the greatest powers of the 20th century having been the United
States, with a mostly positive outlook, and Russia, with a mostly
negative outlook, it is obvious that success and intelligence are not
the matter of either being positive or being negative. There are real
causes for both success and intelligence that cuts across outlooks, as
well as real causes for lack of either that cuts across outlooks as
well. It's not the matter of self-esteem or lack of it any more than
it is a matter of being cynical or idealistic. We'll see success and
lack thereof, and intelligence and lack thereof, among possessors of
either of these attitudes.
Instead of ascribing false causes to things, it is of much greater
merit to look for true causes. This is the case with intelligence, and
it is also the case with success.
This is as much the case for those who have negative outlook as it is
for those who believe that they are positive.
There have been times and places in which having a brain was equated
with cynicism and skepticism; or in which intelligence was equated
with being morose. In both cases brains did not develop through an
embrace of that attitude. One can be cynical, skeptical or morose and
still be a complete idiot. Whereas there have been many brilliant
people in history who did not have such worldviews.
Then there are those who believe that they know what creates success,
and that it is self-esteem and a positive attitude. There's a problem
with that explanation as well. Many of the most successful people in
history and humanity's greatest contributors did not come from a place
of high self-esteem or a positive attitude; and instead of creating
successful people, this mentality creates a bunch of neon balloons and
Amway salesmen who may or may not be successful but are universally
annoying and typically in denial of many important things.
Having known many intelligent and successful people, I have found that
the most intelligent ones are ones who consistently work on their
intelligence and add to their knowledge as well as to understanding
and applying its implications. This is the case regardless of whether
they are cynical or idealistic, positive or negative, or do not
believe in being either. With successful people, what I've found the
most present is drive, ingenuity, perseverance and courage. This is as
much the case for Vladimir Vysotsky who had a dark view of things as
it is the case for Steven Jobs who had a much more sunny worldview.
With the greatest powers of the 20th century having been the United
States, with a mostly positive outlook, and Russia, with a mostly
negative outlook, it is obvious that success and intelligence are not
the matter of either being positive or being negative. There are real
causes for both success and intelligence that cuts across outlooks, as
well as real causes for lack of either that cuts across outlooks as
well. It's not the matter of self-esteem or lack of it any more than
it is a matter of being cynical or idealistic. We'll see success and
lack thereof, and intelligence and lack thereof, among possessors of
either of these attitudes.
Instead of ascribing false causes to things, it is of much greater
merit to look for true causes. This is the case with intelligence, and
it is also the case with success.
umer umerkhalid
May 12, 2012, 8:44:05 AM5/12/12
to
be changed, cannot be broken, and apply to every individual,
regardless of age or nationality. These laws are the riverbanks which
guide the flow of their lives on its journey to its ultimate end. The
law of attraction is one such law. The law of attraction is the belief
that anyone can determine their destiny through the power of their
minds. "The Law of Attraction attracts to you everything you need,
according to the nature of your thoughts. <a href="http://
www.psychotreasure.com/download/books/">Law of Attraction</a>Your
environment and financial condition are the perfect reflection of
your habitual thinking."
Petra
May 12, 2012, 12:58:58 PM5/12/12
to
On May 12, 12:44 pm, umer umerkhalid <link.umerkha...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> according to the nature of your thoughts. <a href="http://www.psychotreasure.com/download/books/">Law of Attraction</a>Your
cash or goods?, and all the bad people are evil thinkers with no money
whatsoever??
wrote:
> environment and financial condition are the perfect reflection of
> your habitual thinking."
and I suspect that all the good angels are the ones who have all the
> your habitual thinking."
cash or goods?, and all the bad people are evil thinkers with no money
whatsoever??
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