Speaking of Newton, he was clearly a geek/nerd kind of guy. So was Adam Smith, for that matter. Many men of that type were, and are.
I have no sure explanation for that, either. Why would most of the intelligent, thought, rational, science-oriented men tend to be of the geek type? Who generally aren't that popular with women?
Women do tend to imitate men's opinions, though. I once had a women tell me universal health care was a good thing "because it works in Europe" (which it doesn't). When I asked her if she got that opinion from her ex-boyfriend (a nitwit liberal) she said nothing. She also imitated my opinions - and she was a very smart women compared to the average woman.
Since women are generally economic parasites the more society tries to "bring them up" to parity with men, the more men have to be brought down. What is this? Envy? Sure seems so, and anything based on envy is guaranteed to fail.
The following was written by Julian O'Dea and is from his site.
”I have a theory that women have evolved intelligence sufficient largely to assess the intelligence of men as potential sexual partners. They are clever at detecting cleverness. They are good at mimicking and copying intelligence. I find this with my wife – she is always repeating my opinions, sometimes word for word, back at me. I think this is why women excel in formal education. They can repeat the lecturer’s opinions back at him. '
"Something I said at this discussion:
http://traditionalcatholicism.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/intelligence-and-genetic-fitness/#comment-196
"Alte, the blogmistress, had written, in response to David Alexander:
”'Your personal focus on eloquence blinds you to recognizing true intelligence, I think. You mistake good breeding and class for true talent. Most 'smart women' aren’t very smart in any useful manner, whereas most 'smart men' are. The women have merely been trained to mimic the men’s intellectual displays, but that does not mean that they actually possess the same intellect.
"Them girls thar just talk nice and write real pretty. But if you listen to what they are actually saying, or what they actually do, they are pretty useless. They would be better off making babies and teaching them to speak eloquently and eat with forks and knives, [than] crowding the more competent but less sociable men out of the job and education markets.'"
"Speaking of Newton, he was clearly a geek/nerd kind of guy..."
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Actually...that may not be true. Academics of the period were famous for their rivalries and regularly plotted against each other with fatal results.
If I recall, Newton's worst adversary was his former mentor, Robert Hooke. It is suspected that Hooke's Law was actually the work of Newton and that he shamelessly stole it when the pupil was showing signs of surpassing the teacher. It is suspected that Newton spent most of his career hiding his work from Hooke and actually waited until he died before publishing his famous laws of motion and gravitation.
Male and female intelligence...much like this.
ReplyDeleteIt's like the relationship of the sun and moon when it comes to Earth. The sun gives off light...the moon doesn't, it only reflects the light.
Female geniuses do exist. Grace Murray Hopper was a good example. Her accomplishments rival anyone in the modern era and there was a good reason they called her Amazing Grace
ReplyDeleteReal genius is exceedingly rare, much rarer among women however.
Also many scholars of the past were as Glen Filthe noted not nerds in the modern socially impaired sense.
Leonardo probably was but many of the others have more in common with say young pre brain injury Howard Hughes than Bill Gates
Also medieval scholars were often quite violent and given the actual noble privilege they had, often a social menace. The more things change ....
I tend to agree. My wife is whip-smart- based on standardized tests, she's probably around the 98th percentile in IQ- but has negligible interest in any of the abstract subjects I routinely discuss with my male friends- history, science & technology, philosophy, economics, etc. The only science books she reads have direct application to interpersonal relationships- child development, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or anything else about what makes other people tick and how they interact. Her cultural, religious, and political opinions are almost all taken directly either from me or from her father.
ReplyDeleteThis division of labor works pretty well, I must say. She keeps track of which of our friends and relatives are dating, engaged, married, having babies, or divorced, and I handle anything bearing the words "Some assembly required". Feminists would instead have me writing thank-you cards and her installing computer equipment, with less-than-optimal results.