X-Message-Number: 11506
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: a few short replies
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 1999 00:32:51 +1000 (EST)

Hi everyone again!

To John Rivaz:
Hey, wait a minute! I did respond to the ideas you quoted from me. My 
suggestion was that this "increase in intelligence" may actually cast some
doubt on the notion of intelligence as a general trait valid at all times
and places.

This is not a criticism of what you say, but I did feel that I was
a bit misrepresented. I will add that the more I think about just what
intelligence may mean, the less clear the idea seems. If someone asks me
whether or not X is a good mathematician, I can answer; the same if X is
a good programmer, or even a good philosopher. But if they ask me whether
or not he is intelligent, we get into problems --- the more distant this
person is from me culturally (and in time) the more problems.

To Bob Ettinger:
I've actually read the book you name: THE NEXT MILLION YEARS. I think that
to be fair, this Darwin wasn't being dumb. He just believed
unquestioningly what many people of his time believed. In my own book this
does not make him an imbecile, just someone who is average. Not someone
with distinguished and original opinions, but then such people are very
rare at any time and place.

And as you probably know, even if we use a standard test of intelligence,
then over time the progeny of geniuses regress toward the mean. 

			Best and long long life,

				Thomas Donaldson

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