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Tyneras · 01-16-2021, 09:08 AM

Personally, I doubt IQ above 16 has ever existed, and likely the smartest people in the world at any given time for most of human history were in the 14 range. It's only through having a vast and well nourished population that we likely have multiple IQ 15-16 people on earth exist at the same time.

In all likelihood, a lot of people we view as super geniuses were smart people with a specific talent and a lot of skill points in skills we associate with intelligence. If all you measure is someone's ability with (VH Skill Here), then IQ 20 and 1 skill point is indistinguishable from IQ 9, Talent 4 and 24 skill points.

If you want a good feel for someone's general intelligence, look at the other things they did. Broad interests and a wide variety of accomplishments are good indicators. Humans are social creatures, so social skills are a critical factor to look at. Someone with an exceptional skill but bad social ability is actually a good candidate for average or below average IQ and lots of talent and skill investment. Not always, mind you, many are just self absorbed and don't develop those skills.

01-16-2021, 09:08 AM	#6
Tyneras Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kentucky, USA	Re: Meaning of stats compared to real world Personally, I doubt IQ above 16 has ever existed, and likely the smartest people in the world at any given time for most of human history were in the 14 range. It's only through having a vast and well nourished population that we likely have multiple IQ 15-16 people on earth exist at the same time. In all likelihood, a lot of people we view as super geniuses were smart people with a specific talent and a lot of skill points in skills we associate with intelligence. If all you measure is someone's ability with (VH Skill Here), then IQ 20 and 1 skill point is indistinguishable from IQ 9, Talent 4 and 24 skill points. If you want a good feel for someone's general intelligence, look at the other things they did. Broad interests and a wide variety of accomplishments are good indicators. Humans are social creatures, so social skills are a critical factor to look at. Someone with an exceptional skill but bad social ability is actually a good candidate for average or below average IQ and lots of talent and skill investment. Not always, mind you, many are just self absorbed and don't develop those skills. __________________ GURPS Fanzine The Path of Cunning is worth a read.