Quote (Ryvulet @ Sep 12 2025 10:35pm)

You are using the word intelligence, which is a different word than 'smart'. Intelligence is your ability to use existing knowledge you have to differing abilities, whereas smart is being knowledgeable. Note I used smart, and also used wisdom in terms of the type of think brought out by education in those days as even those who are equivalently intelligent these days are way more hyper focused in their fields and usually aren't political leaders these days.

Quote (Shadowoffury @ 13 Sep 2025 10:28)

The average revolution-era aristocrat was of average intelligence. Thomas Paine and Jefferson and Washington were not average.

The smartest people in any era, in any country, are smarter than the average person in any era or country.

Human intelligence has not changed at all in the past 300, 3000, or even 30,000 years. The average person in republican Rome was as intelligent as the average person today, and their geniuses were as intelligent as our geniuses. Intelligence is not your ability to regurgitate era-appropriate facts. Knowing that gravity exists doesn't make you Newton's intellectual equal.

Quote (Ryvulet @ Sep 12 2025 10:35pm)

You are using the word intelligence, which is a different word than 'smart'. Intelligence is your ability to use existing knowledge you have to differing abilities, whereas smart is being knowledgeable. Note I used smart, and also used wisdom in terms of the type of think brought out by education in those days as even those who are equivalently intelligent these days are way more hyper focused in their fields and usually aren't political leaders these days.

Quote (Shadowoffury @ Sep 12 2025 10:28pm)

The average revolution-era aristocrat was of average intelligence. Thomas Paine and Jefferson and Washington were not average.

The smartest people in any era, in any country, are smarter than the average person in any era or country.

Human intelligence has not changed at all in the past 300, 3000, or even 30,000 years. The average person in republican Rome was as intelligent as the average person today, and their geniuses were as intelligent as our geniuses. Intelligence is not your ability to regurgitate era-appropriate facts. Knowing that gravity exists doesn't make you Newton's intellectual equal.

Quote (Shadowoffury @ 12 Sep 2025 22:49)

Nothing in this post makes any sense at all to me.

gd maybe I'm as stupid as Washington

Quote (duffman316 @ 13 Sep 2025 01:32)

Chris this is hard to read