Ron's IQ?

[magicmike]

The idea of being 'intelligent' is a good way to stop being so. My approach has been I know nothing, and that is all I need to know. Study and learning should be a lifelong pursuit.

As far as genius goes, I think it has less to do with intelligence and more to do with lateral thinking (the impractical thinking most of us would laugh at) high intelligence is just a natural result of that type of thinking and thus why they score so high.

Look up Einstein, Tesla and may other geniuses they all had some very strange impractical ideas.

To be honest I'm glad Ron Paul is not a super genius, he's smart enough to know it's better to read the instruction manual (Constitution) than to try building a country based upon one's own intelligence.

 

[ChooseLiberty]

The guys that wrote The Constitution were definitely geniuses.

The more I study them the more amazed I am.

 

[Young_Apprentice]

Like many of the founders, RP is an autodidact, which I believe to be far more indicative of his intelligence than an IQ test. Look up Christopher Langan. He has the highest known IQ score in the world and he's also a fascist.

 

[Carole]

I do not think of IQ so much as I think of common sense, well-read, and definitely above average intelligence. All his solutions sound to me like simple common sense. They seem all to come from his view of the Constitution as a firm foundation, from which he never deviates. He has lived his philosophy so long that it comes second nature to him and he can quickly answer any question using it as his guide. That is why he is so consistent and can explain in such simple language that anyone should be able to "get" it. Sadly, some do not.

I know he is extremely well-read and intelligent, but nearly all his solutions boil down to common sense. I say that because each solution, to me, just makes sense. common sense.

He definitely has read a lot and studied a lot about economics and other things, but years and years of living one simple philosophy makes him seem like a genius, though he himself has said otherwise. Together with his other excellent qualities, that makes him appear even more intelligent and enables him to embrace the Libertarian stance.

 

[Carl Corey]

Politicians (including Bush) generally have an IQ in the 120-130 range. People with higher IQs don't appeal to the masses in a democracy because there's too big an intellectual gap, which partially explains the trouble the USA is in.

Ron Paul undoubtedly had a 130+ IQ in his youth which led to his intelligent political viewpoints, but lost about 10 to 20 IQ points due to his age and the Flynn effect.

Fortunately this puts him in the 115-130 range increasing his chances to be elected.

 

[stalcottsmith]

To me, genius is evident or measured by the product of one's life. A score on a test does not mean much except potential according to some standard. It's all about what you do with what you have. Many intelligent people do not amount to much. Many of more modest ability end up accomplishing a whole lot more. Exceptionally gifted people must never let the idea that they are special in some way prevent them from working hard to accomplish something of lasting value.

In my estimation, Ron Paul is definitely a genius -- he found the formula for a revolution -- but he also toiled for years carefully building this project as a life's work.

He probably does not have a 180 IQ. Many such people are so bizarrely talented that they cannot usefully relate to people one or two standard deviations below them.

An IQ of 120+ is adequate to be reasonably successful in almost any field or endeavor. Steady effort in a single direction will definitely add up to far more than brilliant zig zags in 50 different directions.

Ron belongs in the category of late-blossoming genius -- an encouragement to those of us who find ourselves nearing midlife without the accomplishment we might have aspired to. Time to buckle down and focus.

 

[pacelli]

Well, the best standardized IQ test in the US only goes up to 155, so lets get real. I'd say Ron is right up in the 140's.

 

[paulitics]

Most Drs have to have at least a 130 IQ to finish out school. My guess is he is 140. This is better than Darwin, but not Einstein.

 

[Lars]

You don't need to be a genius. Most of it is common sense and has been facts for hundreds of years. Check www.mises.com and all the other sources Ron refers to. This message is not new - just forgotten!