Describe the smartest people you've personally known in real life

[fractal]

I'd like to see anecdotal examples of highly intelligent people you've known in real life, and why you think they're intelligent.

I'm from India, and you hardly find anyone whose philosophy is not theological. So unfortunately the only example of intelligence I've seen is a physics professor in Class 12.

This guy was a person with a very short temper who used to scream at people and look at those who didn't grasp concepts as quickly as he'd expect with disgust. But his intelligence was undeniable. You could bring him a problem from any books meant for our level (usually I.E. Irodov, considered pretty difficult by most people's standards). He would look at a problem, and usually solve the problem in more less than one minute by writing less than 4 lines on the board. He could approximate the exponentiation of an arithmetic calculation like it was obvious. He would also bring together seemingly unrelated concepts and solve problems in very creative ways, ways we've never seen in any book we've referred. The best part is that he never studied physics in college. I've never seen such an overwhelming capacity for mathematics and physics. That guy was a monster, he made everything look so easy and every other lecturer paled in comparison.

 

[Impact]

My current housemate, although maybe not the most intelligent I ever met, definitely the only one I have continued interactions with. Why do I think he's intelligent...because whenever we have a debate about anything, no matter how insignificant it is, he always brings up points I would never think about. The way his mind works, it just amazes me. He'd be an ideal candidate for the MD section here, but i'm not sure his views would be liked too much.

Also, my dad. He's one of those people who has a rather high IQ (i'm unsure exactly) and he's brilliant in his chosen field. But he has the emotional range of a teaspoon, and has trouble interacting with people on an everyday basis.

 

[Tucker]

One of the smartest people I've ever known was a Korean-Polish girl with an IQ of 182. Nicole's academic prowess, though, was pretty unremarkable; her greatest gift was her ability to get right inside someone's head and see like an auto mechanic what might be amiss. We would have in-depth philosophical phone conversations lasting from midnight to sunup, with her in the lead all the way. When we hung out, oddly enough, she only wanted to be massively shit-faced and get bottomless in her car. That's the interesting paradox of intelligence: the smarter people are, the less overall sense they appear to make.

 

[Unition]

The two smartest people I've ever known IRL are:

-A Cree man I met while living in Chisasibi (a Cree native reservation in northern Quebec) for two months. He was basically the leader of all the traditions in the town. When we first arrived he invited us to his sweat-lodge that he had in his backyard. Everything that man said, whether it was about politics or philosophy, was the truest, most insightful crap i've ever heard.

and:

-My older brother. He's pretty much a genius when it comes to music and mathematics. He's been studying famous composers like Mozart and Bach for about 5 years. He's composed some of his own stuff and he's invented several unique instuments which incorporate the Harmonic Series. He also studies Aboriginal and ancient history and languages. He's actually working on making his own language and a writing system which can be used to write in any language. He also smokes a lot of pot...

 

[Dabs]

Smart people, wow, around these parts, they are few and far between *ha* And I haven't met anyone famous, or anyone who has done anything that special. The smartest person to me is my Mother. She taught me how to forgive and treat others with compassion and always have respect for others. As far as knowing someone with a super high I.Q.- I have an ex brother-in-law who teaches at Notre Dame University in Indiana, he's a pretty damn smart ass.

 

[fractal]

As far as knowing someone with a super high I.Q.- I have an ex brother-in-law who teaches at Notre Dame University in Indiana, he's a pretty damn smart ass.

Please mention why you believe he's smart. And about your mother, she might be the one you admire the most, but please justify the intelligence. Going by the description you gave, it looks like she's a tolerant woman with a good heart and values, but you still need to tell us about her intelligence.

 

[Rebeccaaa]

The most intelligent person I know of is my dad, probably. I mean, I'm positive I've come across smarter and just didn't know it, but there you go.

I must have asked him 1234567876543 zillion questions in my life, and he just seems to know the answer to everything and more. It's like he's read books on the most random subjects prior to you asking the question, somehow knowing what you were going to ask. And as well as having such a diverse range of knowledge, he's also extremely modest about it. It's not just facts and stuff either, it's practical things too.

So yeah, that's the only person I can think of. My dad is definitely my role model.

 

[Bliss]

My boyfriend. The guy can build a computer from scratch. Just give him all the parts.
Like Bex and her dad, I've asked him countless questions and he always has the answer. On the rare occasion he doesn't know the answer he will do what he can to find out. If only for his own knowledge.
He is insanely quick with numbers too. Maths is definitely one of his best subjects. He always did well in school and was finishing up at the top in class.

He doesn't show off about any of this either. He just likes to keep his brain busy so he'll always try and learn something new. I think he's amazing.

 

[Dabs]

Please mention why you believe he's smart. And about your mother, she might be the one you admire the most, but please justify the intelligence. Going by the description you gave, it looks like she's a tolerant woman with a good heart and values, but you still need to tell us about her intelligence.

Having lived my life around regular normal people, saying my Mother was one of the most intelligent was the most obvious choice. I didn't hang with anyone that graduated from Yale or Harvard. And what's to say anyone who did graduate from one of those places, is any more intelligent than you and I? But the things my Mother taught me, are what is instilled in me to this day and always will be. Her own life was hellish from day one, and yet, she maintained a loving and caring heart and personality, always putting others first. She always had the right answers to everything I asked her, and no matter how badly I would feel, she always knew the right things to say. I don't care that she never became a doctor or a lawyer or anything high society and glamorous or anything of above genius level. She is my Mother. She never put me down, never told me I was stupid, always told me to go with my heart and do what I believe in, she never laughed when I flubbed up, and always, always! told me how proud she was of me. Her ability to have friends come up to me and tell me what a wonderful person my Mother was, puts a smile on my face. I just am saying everything she did in life, was done with her very best thoughts. She showed intelligence in everything she did. Because she did most everything for everyone around her, and not much for herself. I happen to think it's a smart thing to be doing, putting others before your ownself.
As far as my ex brother-in-law, man, you'd have to listen to the guy jabber to understand why I said what I said. He had a brain clot burst in his head several years ago when I was still married to his brother. He almost died, but he went on and like I said, today he teaches at Notre Dame University. He just talks intelligent. He is smart, he can probably sell somebody that Brooklyn bridge, twice! :lol:

 

[fractal]

The guy can build a computer from scratch. Just give him all the parts.

Hyperbole, but I get the picture.

It would appear from many of the posts here that opinions on intelligence are judged by knowledge. It seems like a fairly good assumption that the more intelligent ones would have sought knowledge and become good at the things that interested them. The replies so far are great, and I admire the people being described in the posts. However, if it were possible for you to describe specific instances, where the person you're describing did something smart, that would be welcome. Thank you for your replies, please keep them coming

Having lived my life around regular normal people, saying my Mother was one of the most intelligent was the most obvious choice. I didn't hang with anyone that graduated from Yale or Harvard. And what's to say anyone who did graduate from one of those places, is any more intelligent than you and I?

That's true Dabs, everyone has their own moments of brilliance. Like the thread states, we're discussing only the ones we've personally known. Your mother must be one of those people with high emotional intelligence, a highly underrated dimensional of intelligence. You're lucky to have one of the wisest people you've known as a parent, just like Rebecca. It must have had a positive effect on the children.