Walter O'Brien comes to mind when I think genius. The tv show Scorpion is based on him and his real life crew of geniusus. And if I spelled that word wrong it must be because I am not a genius.
Thomas Edison.......hmmmmmm. Yep, he was a genius of sorts. Edison is best described as an idea and business man. Although his knowledge of mechanics and engineering truly warrants some recognition, the people he surrounded himself with like Tesla, were the real items of invention genius. I will admit that his movie projector and phonograph were astounding. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention so what probably happened is his mother or wife wouldn't let him go out clubbing so he had to invent something to listen to at home. Kind of like the caveman Ogg who had to discover a way to artificially start a fire so he could see to change the channels on the TV.
The phonograph - can't imagine life without that music source, although I guess a lot of us would have been musicians - so that's good too
This is an online list of Celebrities with high IQ's: Conan O'brien....................160 Nicole Kidman....................132 Steve Martin.......................142 Matt Damon........................160 Madonna.............................140 Jodie Foster.........................132 Arnold Schwarzenneger.....135 James Woods......................184 Quenton Tarantino..............160 Google: Celebrities with surprisingly high IQ's Hal
IQ determinations can vary widely, but most celebs have very low IQs and many cannot hold regular jobs, yet their opinions on a variety of issues are valued by many.
I have no idea, @Hal Pollner. I just know that Mensa developed a list of acceptable testing methods that were used by them, as there were so many different methods and they found that a number of them were not reliable and tended to inflate the quotient. There is a so-called authority whose name I have forgotten who claims that you need multiple sessions with 1000 random questions to truly determine intelligence. It also depends on how intelligence is defined. Some think that it should be based on learning ability and some believe it should be based on problem solving ability.
It also depends on the questions asked. If you asked a person born and educated in the city who painted the Mona Lisa, they will more than likely know. But if you ask them how many teats a cow has, they more than likely won't know. If you ask a person who grew up on a farm those same questions, they will surely know the answer to the second question but not necessarily the first one. Does one have a higher IQ than the other? I once read that black kids score lower on IQ tests because the tests are oriented toward white kids. That if the questions were about things that black kids were more likely to be familiar with, the black kids would score as well as the white kids. About those celebrities, I wonder what questions they were asked?
A lot of the IQ tests that are now presented as bonafide are no more than on-line tests with a variation index of around 6-10 and to tell the truth, they're pretty easy and do NOT pass muster with any of the social organizations that I know of that are based on one's intelligence quotient or rather, their ability to learn. 1. A test such as the Wechsler Adult IQ test has to be administered by a psychologist and can take up to 4 to 5 hours to complete. 2. Nearly all IQ tests with the exception of the Raven's Matrix are based on logic and reasoning and not on hard line information such as history, biology, chemistry or geography or even general information such as the questions @Shirley Martin referred to. 3. Nearly all of the questions teach and test at the same time. An example might be: complete the progression of 3, 5, 7, 9, _ or fill in type questions such as: 3, _, 7, 9. One just has to ascertain what one is being taught and arrive at an answer to a set question as quickly and accurately as possible. Like I wrote, all the questions are based on reasoning and a person does not have to have a large education in order to complete the test but do note that speed and accuracy are mainstays of the test so the ability to read quickly and comprehend what you have read is indeed a great asset. Do Note: Anyone can take the test and no one has to think they have failed because there is no failing grade. Now, do I really believe that those actors actually have those IQ's. Dunno, only their psychologist would know for sure but my gut feeling is that since the top score one can achieve is 200, I do have my doubts. With the exception of Woods and possibly O'Brian and Martin, I haven't been too impressed with any of the others on the list.
IQs are way overrated. IQs don't put a kind of value stamp on people. They certainly help understand complex problems but that's not enough if people only do it for themselves. Based on their objective, different IQ tests cover some aspects of intelligence such as abstract reasoning, mental speed, word range, as well as metacognitive skills like time management and decision-making strategies like educated guessing. The challenges of life, however, are different by nature. Quants, for example, may understand the Black-Scholes formula while failing to grasp how people behave in a panic. A definition of intelligence should be based on its purpose. Intelligent are those people who care about mankind since intelligence is no merit but a responsibility.