I’ve been reading into autism lately; and a brief thought about “intelligent people” has popped into my head.
Intelligence is just a tool, that’s used to achieve the underlying organism’s goals. For example, a crow’s intelligence is used to keep out of danger and to find food. Most neurotypical people use intelligence to gain resources like money, status, and power to fulfill biological imperatives like being part of and respected by their “tribe.” Whereas some autistics will not care about this sort of thing, and be biased more towards the truth, rather than what’s socially most advantageous. For example: Stallman. He has little concern for social appearances and such, so he is free to express something close to “truth,” rather than socially-rewarding “truth.”
At that point, it becomes fairly depressing how little research and “knowledge” attainment is actually geared towards “truth,” and not personal enrichment.
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And a tangent. I think what separates the outcast autist and the socially well-regarded autist is confidence and self-esteem. If you act and present yourself like a low-status person, you will be treated like it, as people regard your “offness” and associate it with low-status. Whereas if you’re self-assured and act like what you’re doing is innately correct, people will pick up the body language and signs, to think that you’re actually “right” and should accept it.
Sort of like those methed-up cult leaders who are utterly insane, but project unwavering self-assuredness, which people naturally gravitate to.
Intelligence is just a tool, that’s used to achieve the underlying organism’s goals. For example, a crow’s intelligence is used to keep out of danger and to find food. Most neurotypical people use intelligence to gain resources like money, status, and power to fulfill biological imperatives like being part of and respected by their “tribe.” Whereas some autistics will not care about this sort of thing, and be biased more towards the truth, rather than what’s socially most advantageous. For example: Stallman. He has little concern for social appearances and such, so he is free to express something close to “truth,” rather than socially-rewarding “truth.”
At that point, it becomes fairly depressing how little research and “knowledge” attainment is actually geared towards “truth,” and not personal enrichment.
—
And a tangent. I think what separates the outcast autist and the socially well-regarded autist is confidence and self-esteem. If you act and present yourself like a low-status person, you will be treated like it, as people regard your “offness” and associate it with low-status. Whereas if you’re self-assured and act like what you’re doing is innately correct, people will pick up the body language and signs, to think that you’re actually “right” and should accept it.
Sort of like those methed-up cult leaders who are utterly insane, but project unwavering self-assuredness, which people naturally gravitate to.