this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2024
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To me it is chess. I know how the piece move but that is it.

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[–] quinkin@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

I'm smart enough to know that everyone is both smart and stupid.

I'm stupid enough to believe that doesn't apply to me.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Believing that you are smart, is the first sign of not being it. Even the smartest people will admit that they are mostly good at maybe a few areas, and at best average at everything else.

[–] OlPatchy2Eyes 6 points 1 day ago

Any position I hold is toppled over with the slightest argument unless I have very recently done a ton of research on the topic. I have zero ability to recall whatever evidence I used to come to a conclusion. It's incredibly frustrating because I do try to be informed about things but I just can't defend anything at the pace of a normal conversation.

[–] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its life believing it’s a failure.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Yeah but I can’t even figure out how to breathe water

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 19 points 2 days ago

Being bad at chess doesn't mean you aren't smart.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 24 points 2 days ago

I know somebody who is great at chess, but thinks covid was a hoax, vaccines are fake, Musk is a genius and Russia has a right to Ukraine.

We're all capable of being a dumb-ass while having something else we're good at.

[–] spittingimage@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

Last week I moved the cheesegrater so I could look behind it... for the cheesegrater.

[–] wolfeh@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

People smart enough to realize how much they don't know are most likely to think that they aren't smart... and it takes a certain level of intelligence to do that.

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Something something Dunning-Kruger Effect. Dumb people who know very little about a topic will tend to overestimate their knowledge about said topic. As you gain more knowledge about the topic, the more you realize you don’t know, and the less confident you are about it.

In extreme cases, it ends with the person having Imposter Syndrome. When a person is very knowledgeable and experienced in a certain topic, but believes they aren’t qualified enough to be considered an expert. They feel like an imposter who will inevitably get outed by someone more knowledgeable than they are. So they have a lot of anxiety about speaking on the topic, because they’re afraid it will result in them being outed as an imposter.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Being confused often by people and not being able to apply yourself to simple intellectual tasks would be good hints but they could also indicate other underlying disorders and atypicalities different from intellect.

This is further exasperated by the fact that most people specialize in one or more brainy tasks such as mechanical visualization, language comprehension (spoken and/or written), rhythm, mathematics, etc.

There are also behavioral differences that are judged as more or less smart depending on the person. For example, is selfish self serving actions smart or stupid? Do we prioritize long term satisfaction or short term? Does a smart person care about betraying trust of others?

TLDR: Idk man, its real hard to tell, dude

[–] whaleross@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

My brain insists on telling me so several times a day so nowadays I just roll with it.

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[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 84 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Chill man. There's loads of types of smart. Some people are great at chess, others have an intuitive feel of how a ball moves in the air, or how musical notes harmonize, or how equations collapse into simple forms, or how color or smell evokes emotion, or how ingredients work together to create pleasant texture and flavors, or how materials fold under the strike of a hammer, ...

Point is, while you may not be smart in one area, there's always areas to explore. Who knows, you may be a savant in your field. Enjoy the journey and appreciate the diversity.

[–] Speculater@lemmy.world 21 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I hate that people don't recognize the depth of what intelligence can be. You alluded to athletic intelligence, but there's so many more. Emotional intelligence is a big buzzword, but just being a kind person is a reflection of that type.

Some of the most insufferable people I've ever met are "smart" but holy shit would I prefer to spend my time with someone else.

I don't think there is a great way to quantify intelligence, but IQ and MENSA ain't it. And chess is just boring. I'm not good at it because I don't want to be.

[–] Zaphod@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I don't think I've ever met a genuinely smart person that wasn't kind. Most insufferable people I've met weren't outstandingly smart. But maybe that's just the bubble I live in and a little bit of luck.

Or I'm just very tolerant and have a high ceiling for what I'd describe as insufferable.

[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I think intelligence brings with an awareness of the scale of all knowledge, and that imbues a sense of humility. It's the people who let it get to their head, maybe because they solved one problem within their locus, or managed to monetize one thing that puts them at an economic advantage, and it ruins their character.

[–] BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Some people are very smart at writing smart things like you !

[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Thanks, friend. I really needed that in light of the recent news.

[–] Nyciferi@kbin.melroy.org 6 points 2 days ago

Admitting you don't know everything is smart.

Continuing to still think you do know everything when you don't is when you're dumb by default.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago

Doesn’t mean you’re not smart. People’s brains work differently. Some people enjoy thinking five moves ahead, or memorizing standard plays and reactions. Other people are good at math or chemistry. Talents aren’t an “all or nothing” thing.

[–] cabillaud@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I know I'm not smart because I often need to do the same mistakes several times before i get it

[–] m4xie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You've gotta make the same mistake two or three times, just to make sure 😉

It's the scientific method! Trial by repetition!

[–] Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works 32 points 3 days ago

You don’t. If you’re even entertaining the thought that there is more to learn than what you already know you are displaying intelligence. Stupid people “know” they’re NOT stupid and intelligent people constantly question their own intelligence. This is why a grown adult with the reading age of a 12yr old can spend twenty minutes online and become the world’s foremost authority on… 5G, vaccines, international geo politics, chemtrails, why the Nazi party were “ackshully” socialist etc. etc.

[–] grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I'm visiting my elderly father this weekend and he told me last night that he remembers when he and my mom took me to the doctor when I was like 2 or 3 and I tested positive for high amounts of lead (not lead poisoning, just a high amount), and now I'm like damn, maybe that explains why I suck at a few things...

I wouldn't say I'm legit dumb though. I maintained a 4.0 GPA in college and I get by just fine, but now I'm like "do I suck at math because I was exposed to lead as a child?"

[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

If you had a 4.0 gpa in college you're probably not dumb

[–] beliquititious@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I was tested as a child and had an iq of 164 at 10 years old. For my entire childhood every adult treated me like I was smarter than them and in most cases I was. I was in gifted and accelerated classes and excelled.

I know I'm not smart because from the headstart in life I got I went on to barely graduate from high school, drop out of community college twice, never hold a job for longer than 18 months, and have more gaps on my resume than experience.

[–] kalkulat@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

There are multiple kinds of 'smart'. The following section in Wiki breaks them down into IQ, emotional, social, and moral. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence#Human

Historically, a lot of 'high IQ' people didn't necessarily 'fit in' to society. See the story of William James Sidis ... 'He entered Harvard University at age 11 and, as an adult, was claimed by family members to have an IQ between 250 and 300'.

Also historically, people smart enough to see that a lot of the world is about shuckin' and jivin' and not giving a crap? may not be not interested in playing the game. Some find other interests and don't see the point in 'accomplishing' things that will mostly be forgotten. Ramanujan had a HUGE talent for math ONLY, unrecognized until he wrote a professor halfway around the world.

We were all born without a manual. There are ways to enjoy life on your own terms.

[–] CentrifugalChicken@lemm.ee 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It is! Or at least what a previous therapist thought.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago (2 children)

That's all because you're bored. The world isn't geared for genius level intelligence.

Boredom is a lot more dangerous and potentially disastrous than most people realize, but it's definitely not my only problem. I struggle with some mental health issues that make most things a lot harder for me than many other people.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

or even... I'm slightly above average, they put me in honors classes etc. functionally because I played Magic School Bus games as a kid and showed up to 2nd grade already knowing what an herbivore was, I got more boring homework to do for my entire adolescence. Whatbreally doomed me was "academically gifted" math class was just skipping a grade and my math performance never recovered.

[–] Reyali@lemm.ee 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I was fortunate that individuals in my elementary school actually made accommodations for me being ahead of average. My third grade teacher gave me a fourth grade math book and special assignments from it. The pull-out classes for smart kids were K-2 and 3-5, but I got put in the 3-5 class in second grade. My principal supported my parents in moving me to a different class because of teachers who weren’t supporting me (multiple times, actually).

My school was in a pretty low-income district, but I completely lucked out with educators (and parents) who fought for me.

Definitely still ended up on the gifted child > burnt out teen/adult who struggles with some basic life skills, but at least I didn’t end up struggling with my ADHD in school until high school because of the support in my younger years.

I went to decent schools in a decent district, they had "Academically Gifted" programs for elementary and middle school students, with "honors" and "AP" classes for high schoolers. A structural problem I think they had is they were operating kind of on video game logic: "You're smart so for you we're going to make classes harder for you." You're doing too well on Medium, we're bumping you up to Hard.

Which basically did the opposite of what I really needed. I didn't need more and longer assignments. In most subjects you could go a little deeper in detail with me and I'd keep up. In math class, I needed more concrete explanations of what the numbers meant. Math class is so often just "Here is how you do this algortihm. Follow these rules and you get the answer." "Okay, I got 7." "No, you were supposed to get -2, you forgot the transistational property of non-equal equality. You need to talk to the guidance counselor about your future because at this rate you're not going to pass this class." Funny how I did extremely well in chemistry and physics where they explained the math in concrete terms that I could build an intuitive relationship with.

I think there's also a problem where...Picture a mathematician. What do you see? A man in a sweater vest in an ivy covered building filling a chalkboard with greek letters and arcane symbols that prove some deep truth about reality, right? That's what it looks like to be good at math, so that's what we're going to make math class look like for every single citizen. Never mind that administrators rarely do math at all, a lot of office workers are fine with a 4-function calculator, meanwhile a carpenter needs a functioning understanding of trigonometry. In academia, aesthetics is more important than reality.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 19 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

What is smart.... I mean, most of us Lemmy tech people are good at computers but completely useless and may even despise other activities such as dancing, singing, acting, psychology, and so on.

Never forget that the school system evaluates how good of a worker you can be, not how good of a human you can be. The entire system is just built for economic growth, not your happiness. In fact, you consume more when you are feeling like shit.

A bit of a side note, I know, but it's all connected to a bigger picture, so...

[–] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

On chess, there is a moment in 2001: a Space Odyssey wherein HAL and Frank Poole are playing chess. A more attentive person than me pointed out HAL cheated. I paused and looked at the board forever. I almost gave up. I thought I would never figure it out. Finally figured it out! I have never felt so smart for wasting so much time.

[–] Bougie_Birdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I live on the Earth, home to humans. Every human I've met, heard, or read about has been pretty stupid about something. I can't imagine that I'd be the sole exception, so if I had to guess I'm not smart.

More to the spirit of the question, for me it has to do with programming. I love programming, I went to school for it and learned a ton. It really covers a wide breadth of applications, and you can make anything happen with a computer if you're determined enough. And, like any field, there's general knowledge as well as deeper specializations.

If you're not into programming, know that there's a divide in every application between what's called the Back End and the Front End. The front end is what the user interacts with, and ultimately is an interface for the back end which actually runs the application.

I don't know if it would still be considered accurate, but in school we'd joke about how the back end is more complex (more services to integrate with), and the front end is easier because it's all about look and feel. Generally speaking, people develop an affinity for one or the other and then further specialize based on that.

I can't seem to pick up a front end framework to save my life. The thing that the self-described smart kids called easier is wayyy more complicated than it looks. I have a lot of training, I'm skilled in multiple languages, and I can whisper the secret words that open up the database. But I don't know if I could Hello World my way through a React app if there was a gun to my head.

[–] Boozilla@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Calculus III kicked my ass.

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[–] Octospider@lemm.ee 7 points 3 days ago

I'm likely average, middle of the road intelligence. Smart enough to get by and dumb enough not to excel at anything. I know a little about a lot of things and not a lot about one thing.

[–] bear@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 3 days ago

Many of the things that really matter to us are fundamentally beyond human comprehension. We cannot understand ourselves, society, our place in the world, the consequences of our actions, or the laws of the universe, and we rarely agree or cooperate with each other.

[–] Hikermick@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

Everyone is smart about something but dumb about most things

[–] frankenswine@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

one of the smarter folks of western civilisation history said "i know that i do kot know" so maybe asking yourself whether you are or are not smart is all it takes

[–] SnokenKeekaGuard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Reading a book that explains a book I don't understand and failing to understand either at the end.

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