@lks @Starprophet1 @Kalogerosstilitis2RevengeoftheJunta @Neofugue1 @alchemy This is an interesting conundrum. We have a culture where capability and power are disconnected. We have some seriously stupid people in Congress, for example. And we have literal geniuses basically consigned to artificial light in labs.

There are a lot of moving parts to the problem. But one simple part we can easily remedy is that we allow kids to basically pursue what THEY find interesting, rather than molding them to be responsible wielders of power and to understand that wielding it is their responsibility.

This is something we had with aristocracy, but lack today except (of course) in the cases of familial power transfer.

Everyone with an IQ of 130+ has had the experience of answering to a stupid boss who does not, and cannot, understand important things. And that problem is factors worse for those with a truly high IQ.

Unless someone is part of the ruling class already, kids with high IQs are groomed into STEM instead of into politics etc. (Those with lopsided verbal might do law.) That's why people with majors in public administration etc tend to have among the lowest IQs of all college students.

So maybe instead of pointing our high IQ kids toward stem, we should point them toward paths to power.