The Density of Smart People - Democratic Underground

Dappleganger

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Sun May-30-10 11:45 AM
Original message

The Density of Smart People

http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2010/05/29/the-density-of-smart-people/

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drm604

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Sun May-30-10 11:50 AM
Response to Original message

1. I'm not sure that this is a meaningful way to present that data.

It doesn't strike me as meaningful to look at degrees per square mile. Wouldn't per capita stats be more meaningful?

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nashville_brook

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Sun May-30-10 11:59 AM
Response to Reply #1

4. not if you're interested in the quality of a city's culture -- lots of pHD burger flippers

is going to make for a richer city experience -- think Cambridge MA compared to Jacksonville FL. a denser brainy population means the city is going to be bent in the direction of museums rather than wet tshirt contests.

the per capital calculation might hide the density of a city's brain capacity by tying it to income.

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drm604

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Sun May-30-10 12:11 PM
Response to Reply #4

5. How would it be tying it to income?

I'm not following you? :shrug:

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stevedeshazer

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Sun May-30-10 11:54 AM
Response to Original message

2. I get the point, however simple density of people per square mile would produce the same graph.

There are smart people there because there are more people there per square mile.

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Motown_Johnny

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Sun May-30-10 11:58 AM
Response to Original message

3. clearly misleading....

as the previous posters mentioned

The more densely populated an area is the more likely it is to have well educated people. A graph of density of less educated people would create very similar results.

Also, confusing education with intelligence is a mistake.

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ShortnFiery

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Sun May-30-10 12:16 PM
Response to Reply #3

6. Also, confusing education with intelligence is a mistake.

Edited on Sun May-30-10 12:17 PM by ShortnFiery

Yes, and not all educated and intelligent people have any SENSE of either compassion or humanity for those who are less blessed than themselves.

Further, survival of our species is NOT dependent on intelligence but adaptability.

Based on evolutionary history, cockroaches and sharks will exist long after human-kind has become extinct, i.e., IQ'd ourselves out of existence through the arrogance of greed and war-mongering. :wow:

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pintobean

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Sun May-30-10 12:41 PM
Response to Reply #3

7. "confusing education with intelligence is a mistake"

The subject line of the op should read "The Density of People With a College Degree" A degree does not make a person smarter - or denser, for that matter.

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spin

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Sun May-30-10 01:20 PM
Response to Reply #7

8. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard in 1977 ...

There's a great photo of Bill Gates from 1977, the year he would have graduated from Harvard if he hadn't dropped out. He was 22 at the time and looks all of 16. He's got a flowered collar, tinted glasses and feathered blond hair, and he looks so happy, you'd swear he knew what the rest of his life was going to be like. He also has a sign around his neck: it's a mug shot. "I was out driving Paul 's car," Gates says, flashing that same smile 30 years later. "They pulled me over, and I didn't have my license, and they put me in with all the drunks all night long. And that's why the rest of my life, I've always tried to have a fair amount of cash with me. I like the idea of being able to bail myself out." Mission accomplished.

***snip***

Now, at 51, Gates has gone back to Harvard, effectively closing the loop between Bills 1.0 and 2.0. He delivers the commencement address at Harvard on June 7 at 3:30 p.m. and accepts an honorary degree. But on some level he's still that grinning, cocky kid in the mug shot, and to prove it, he's dropping out all over again. He is transitioning out of Microsoft to become a full-time philanthropist-at-large, directing his formidable intelligence and ridiculous wealth at improving global education and global health.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1630188,00.html#ixzz0pRAUGfx6

Gates graduated from Lakeside School in 1973. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_gates

Note that the co-founder of Microsoft Paul Allen scored 1600 and also dropped out of college. For comparison Al Gore scored 1355 and G W Bush George W. Bush: 1206.
http://www.powerscore.com/sat/help/celebrity_scores.cfm

I agree. As you say:

"confusing education with intelligence is a mistake"

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hobbit709

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Sun May-30-10 01:34 PM
Response to Reply #7

10. GWB has two degrees and he is pretty dense.

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Berry Cool

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Sun May-30-10 01:23 PM
Response to Original message

9. The irony of this list?

"Cincinnati" is misspelled.

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