Were you a "bright child who didn't apply him/herself"?

Before anyone gets too full of themselves, there's longtime Long Island club bouncer & autodidact Chris Langan:

Christopher Michael Langan (born c. 1952) is an American autodidact with an IQ reported to be between 195 and 210.[1] He has been described as "the smartest man in America" by the media.[2] Langan has developed a "theory of the relationship between mind and reality" which he calls the "Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU)".

He took a string of labor-intensive jobs, and by his mid-40s had been a construction worker, cowboy, forest service firefighter, farmhand, and, for over twenty years, a bouncer on Long Island. He says he developed a "double-life strategy": on one side a regular guy, doing his job and exchanging pleasantries, and on the other side coming home to perform equations in his head, working in isolation on his Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe.

He was profiled in Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Success,[20] where Gladwell looks at the reasons behind why Langan was unable to flourish in a university environment. Gladwell writes that although Langan "read deeply in philosophy, mathematics, and physics" as he worked on the CTMU, "without academic credentials, he despairs of ever getting published in a scholarly journal".[21] Gladwell's profile of Langan mainly portrayed him as an example of an individual who failed to realize his potential in part because of poor social skills resulting from, in Gladwell's speculation, being raised in poverty.[22]

Langan's media exposure at the end of the 1990s invariably included some discussion of his "Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe" (often referred to by Langan as "CTMU"), and he was reported by Popular Science in 2001 to be writing a book about his work called Design for a Universe.[9] He has been quoted as saying that "you cannot describe the universe completely with any accuracy unless you're willing to admit that it's both physical and mental in nature"[11] and that his CTMU "explains the connection between mind and reality, therefore the presence of cognition and universe in the same phrase".[18] He calls his proposal "a true 'Theory of Everything', a cross between John Archibald Wheeler's 'Participatory Universe' and Stephen Hawking's 'Imaginary Time' theory of cosmology."[8] In conjunction with his ideas, Langan has claimed that "you can prove the existence of God, the soul and an afterlife, using mathematics."

Langan is a fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information, and Design (ISCID),[23] a professional society which promotes intelligent design,[24] and has published a paper on his CTMU in the society's online journal Progress in Complexity, Information, and Design in 2002.[25] Later that year, he presented a lecture on his CTMU at ISCID's Research and Progress in Intelligent Design (RAPID) conference.[26] In 2004, Langan contributed a chapter to Uncommon Dissent, a collection of essays that question evolution and promote intelligent design, edited by ISCID cofounder and leading intelligent design proponent William Dembski.[27]

Asked about creationism, Langan has said:

I believe in the theory of evolution, but I believe as well in the allegorical truth of creation theory. In other words, I believe that evolution, including the principle of natural selection, is one of the tools used by God to create mankind. Mankind is then a participant in the creation of the universe itself, so that we have a closed loop. I believe that there is a level on which science and religious metaphor are mutually compatible.

More openminded than some of you with much less than his own I.Q. might imagine after reading that, Chris states:

Langan explains on his website that he believes "since Biblical accounts of the genesis of our world and species are true but metaphorical, our task is to correctly decipher the metaphor in light of scientific evidence also given to us by God". He explains

In explaining this relationship, the CTMU shows that reality possesses a complex property akin to self-awareness. That is, just as the mind is real, reality is in some respects like a mind. But when we attempt to answer the obvious question "whose mind?", the answer turns out to be a mathematical and scientific definition of God. This implies that we all exist in what can be called "the Mind of God", and that our individual minds are parts of God's Mind. They are not as powerful as God's Mind, for they are only parts thereof; yet, they are directly connected to the greatest source of knowledge and power that exists.

This connection of our minds to the Mind of God, which is like the connection of parts to a whole, is what we sometimes call the soul or spirit, and it is the most crucial and essential part of being human.[28]

Langan has said elsewhere that he does not belong to any religious denomination, explaining that he "can't afford to let [his] logical approach to theology be prejudiced by religious dogma."[18] He calls himself "a respecter of all faiths, among peoples everywhere."

reply to post by The GUT

wow that is an insane IQ... Im humbled

reply to post by The GUT


Awesome read! I'd never heard of this guy before. I live for this sort of stuff and find people who are brilliant but passed over by society fascinating. His ideas on the universe and creation strongly resemble my own so maybe I'm a tad biased. I'm going to check out the youtube vids now. Thanks for sharing

reply to post by DeadSeraph

The Errol Morris documentary piece on Langan is fantastic.

The way I look at it: Intellect is useful. Even desirable. But in comparison to Wisdom it's just a parlor trick. Wish I had more wisdom, sigh...and then some intellect for good measure!

My problem was boredom. I read everything within arms reach. I actually had "favorite parts" of various encyclopedia sets. Just out of boredom.

The boredom made me a horrible student. I didn't know how to engage myself in the classroom. I firmly believe that I needed to have a multimodal teaching methodology, heavier on tactile methods than auditory methods. Lots of visual. I think a downfall of education is the division between "adult" and "child" education. Had I had adult education methods used from 2nd grade on, I would have likely engaged myself much more in the process.

No one wants to do work. Especially a kid. So learning cannot be work. It has to be something the student wants, and will engage themselves in. They have to walk into it willingly. At least at first. How do you think sports teams are able to keep kids around? I didn't put up with 3 a day workouts in the West Texas heat just out of my own masochism. I wanted to be there, and went through grueling times to earn the privilege.

I would say that on the whole, for a freshman college dropout, i have done ok. I don't make a lot of money...but that'll happen soon. In the meantime, I keep getting myself positioned for opportunity. Thats really all success is: finding opportunity and taking it.

reply to post by The GUT


Just a fyi, I don't think any of us here are getting too full of themselves. If anything, it's an admission of a common foilable that many of us probably have a little embarrassment or regret about.

A couple good quotes fitting for Mr. Langan.

"Do not then train youth to learning by force or harshness, yet lead them to it by what amuses their mind so that you may discover the peculiar genius of each." -- Plato

"Any place that anyone young can learn something useful from someone with experience is an educational institution." -- Al Capp

WhiteAlice
Just a fyi, I don't think any of us here are getting too full of themselves. If anything, it's an admission of a common foilable that many of us probably have a little embarrassment or regret about.

Don't get me wrong. I think this is a good thread with a great message. Perspective would seem to be important, too, is all I proffer.

I know a lot of simple country folk here in the mountains whose asses I can kick at Jeopardy...and yet they continually humble me with their wisdom. I want what they have and would gladly trade some I.Q. points for it. Sorry if I came off harsh.

WhiteAlice
reply to post by The GUT

 

"Any place that anyone young can learn something useful from someone with experience is an educational institution." -- Al Capp

This....

It is where i graduated: the school of hard knocks.

I think the only reason I didn't have this problem is that I always wanted to know and find out, so it was easy for me to always look like I was applying myself. Once I learned the trick of getting what they wanted done out of the way, I could always find things to find out while looking like I was working hard.

It only backfired on me a few times. Like the time I read the book too quickly and the teacher didn't believe I had read it so she wouldn't take my book report. I meant to keep all my reports and simply hand them in on the last day, but I forgot. So, I failed Reading even though all my reports were finished and in my desk. My mom didn't believe my reasoning until she heard how fast I actually could read a couple years later. Then she did apologize.

There was also the year I failed English because I rebelled against copying sentences. I thought it was stupid to have to copy the entire sentence when the answer was a simple subject or predicate and thus one word (or two if compound). Why copy a whole sentence just to underline a few words? That rebellion earned me an F. It didn't help that I had near-perfect penmanship and took pains to write everything exactly neatly, so it took a loooong time for me to copy.

Then, there was the whole year I spent "listening" to a teacher lecture while actually reading a book I'd "hide" in my lap. She know all along but since I always answered the question she asked ... she couldn't do much. I only found out about this when my parents told me she had told them about it in parent/teacher conferences.

Mostly though, I was the depressing good kid that teachers trusted. They never realized that I knew full well how much they trusted me and sometimes took advantage of that. Never enough to lose that trust. Being the goody two shoes has its advantages so long as you know just how far you can push it. No one ever expects it from the good kid.

reply to post by WhiteAlice


Bravo!

I am truley happy that I am not the only one that has gone through the system and fallen in the cracks, as others have put it.
This to me feels like closure, as before this thread, I never really talked to anyone who shares the same educational experiences that I did.

I just want to thank you all, it is good to know your not alone

reply to post by The GUT


I dont believe you were being harsh at all. I took it as some one sort of like us (but on mental steriods) and how he got successful. And like I said it was very humbling to see how far the spectum actually goes. I think it was a great post at the right time. but thats my opinion.

reply to post by The GUT


I found myself agreeing with most of what he said (watched the 3 part series you linked), but I must admit I was a little shocked when he was asked what he would do if he were in charge of the world and suggested a eugenics program. I see his logic, but I suppose I was put off by the ethical consequences of what he was suggesting. I also found him to be quite arrogant (at times contradicting himself about humility and the nature of intelligence). Maybe it's just because he's so much smarter than I am.

Also, he pissed me off right away by suggesting my IQ (and Darwins) was "in the toilet" LOL. In the toilet to HIM maybe! But I'm still smarter than your average parakeet!

ETA: I too, have a massive cranium, so take that, Chris Langan!

reply to post by The GUT


I hear you. I grew up around ex-felons and "menial labourers" as they call them. I jokingly say that they were my baby sitters and it was pretty much true. Thing was, I learned so much from them about life and other subjects that they really left a mark on me (a good one!). My old babysitters are the primary reason why the Emerson quote in my sig will always be my favorite. "In every man there is something wherein that I may learn of him and in that, I am his pupil." Best quote ever and I spent so many years learning from everyone I could meet no matter how general society viewed them. I learned.

Life is the best teacher.

snypwsd
reply to post by WhiteAlice

 

Bravo!

I am truley happy that I am not the only one that has gone through the system and fallen in the cracks, as others have put it.
This to me feels like closure, as before this thread, I never really talked to anyone who shares the same educational experiences that I did.

I just want to thank you all, it is good to know your not alone

edit on 20-2-2014 by snypwsd because: Smoked some BC Bud before typing and had really horrible grammar. Give me a break I am only Human..... and stoned.... and now hungry haha

This post right here makes me glad that I started it on a humored whim. You're definitely not alone, snyp, and never were.

I had issues with showing work on my math papers. This was back in the stone age before calculators. Once a teacher wrote a problem on the board and asked me to work it, I simply walked up and wrote down the answer. The answer was right but the teacher did not comprehend how I arrived at my answer. I am not a savant, I just see and do things differently.

unfortunately I completely missed out on college, and went into skilled trades. It works well for me and keeps me out of an office. However, like many, I have issues with authority figures. I have a bad habit of editing my superiors writing, and generally do only enough to get by.

l learned a long time ago that I was different , and there was more to life than working hard and making money. My family and I live comfortably middle class, and I can pursue other interests. My life would be good other than I see where we are heading as a country, andcthere is little I can do tocstop it.

respectfully
reluctantpawn

DeadSeraph
..but I must admit I was a little shocked when he was asked what he would do if he were in charge of the world and suggested a eugenics program. I see his logic, but I suppose I was put off by the ethical consequences of what he was suggesting. I also found him to be quite arrogant (at times contradicting himself about humility and the nature of intelligence)...Also, he pissed me off right away by suggesting my IQ (and Darwins) was "in the toilet" LOL.

That's exactly what I mean about intellect and wisdom. They're not necessarily mutually compatible. He's actually a little more mellow now and probably not so different from us when we contemplate our own intellect and applaud it heheh. The seemingly paradoxical, "Egomaniac with an inferiority complex," comes to mind. I can relate. Ouch.

ETA: I too, have a massive cranium, so take that, Chris Langan!

I've noticed that big ol' pumpkin! Pretty impressive.

Just a bright child that was bright enough to see through the lie.

reply to post by WhiteAlice


No thank you Alice, Ill give you a s&f as soon as the roomate is off the computer (cant do it on the wii).

WhiteAlice
I hear you. I grew up around ex-felons and "menial labourers" as they call them. I jokingly say that they were my baby sitters and it was pretty much true. Thing was, I learned so much from them about life and other subjects that they really left a mark on me (a good one!).

What a great POV. And full of wisdom, too.

My parents once rented an "in-law suite" to an ol' mean biddy who was always all up in my business and marriage. I loathed her as much as she seemed to loathe me. Then one day--I don't recall how it transpired--we sat down and talked and she amazed me with her pov. I learned a LOT that day and we were close from then on.

The GUT

DeadSeraph
..but I must admit I was a little shocked when he was asked what he would do if he were in charge of the world and suggested a eugenics program. I see his logic, but I suppose I was put off by the ethical consequences of what he was suggesting. I also found him to be quite arrogant (at times contradicting himself about humility and the nature of intelligence)...Also, he pissed me off right away by suggesting my IQ (and Darwins) was "in the toilet" LOL.

That's exactly what I mean about intellect and wisdom. They're not necessarily mutually compatible. He's actually a little more mellow now and probably not so different from us when we contemplate our own intellect and applaud it heheh. The seemingly paradoxical, "Egomaniac with an inferiority complex," comes to mind. I can relate. Ouch.

ETA: I too, have a massive cranium, so take that, Chris Langan!

I've noticed that big ol' pumpkin! Pretty impressive.

edit on 20-2-2014 by The GUT because: (no reason given)

HAHAHAHA I meant I suffer from excessive cranial circumference and hats generally don't fit me, but I suppose you could read other meanings into that. I do come off as big headed at times

I was here too.

Put in the gifted and talented program, which never did anything at all.
Put in an advanced math class in fifth grade. Basically, it was "you're too smart for what we're doing, teach yourself this stuff." I failed at that, and never really got back on top of math.
Through the rest of school I didn't try, for various reasons from boredom to distractions with my home life. Didn't have time for school until late high school, and by then I spent my time reading real literature and not the crap they assigned in classes, so I read enough to scrape by.
I heard that phrase throughout my schooling, even in college, which I dropped out of.

Classrooms have always bored me, so. I'm not a genius or anything. I'm moderately intelligent, I know a little about a lot, I can read somewhat dense literature (I can read The Sound and the Fury, I can't read Paradise Lost or Finnegan's Wake), but I wasn't obedient enough to do really well in school, so I guess I'm screwed?