# Do you consider yourself intellectually superior to the vast majority?



## MiGoreng (May 10, 2011)

Do you consider yourself intellectually superior to the vast majority of people you know?
Or superior in general?

If so, how often do you meet people you feel inferior to, or on level with? Can you describe these people?

And do you think your feeling of superiority is something you can help, or something you do unwillingly?


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## cue5c (Oct 12, 2011)

Nope. What does intellectually superior even mean? Is it how much you know? What if you're able to grasp difficult concepts with relative ease, but someone had to explain it to you in the first place as you didn't know about the topic beforehand? I think there are too many different factors in life for anyone to be able to say they're superior. There are so many people, and though I can assume, it's much smarter to believe that everyone's on your level.


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## Chipps (Jun 1, 2011)

No, Im not an arrogant asshole. Its called humility. Why? Because you are bound to meet someone smarter than you in a certain area. And the moment you believe yourself "superior" is the moment you stop growing. Meh.


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## WolfStar (Aug 18, 2009)

No. I am wiser in some areas but I would never assume that I am intellectually superiour to someone, nor make such a sweeping generalization as to assume that about everyone.


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## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

First, you would need to define what intellectual superiority is. Secondly, how do we test the intellectual superiority or inferiority of an individual?

A lot of people I know seem to think I'm a genius of some sort, but there's so many people I've heard of/known that make me look like an intellectual mouse to their elephant. Besides, there are many areas that are traditionally seen as those mastered by the most intelligent amongst society, such as mathematics, where my personal knowledge of those areas is very much pedestrian.

However, I do have to admit to sometimes feeling intellectually superior, but there's usually a very good reason for such a feeling.


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## MuChApArAdOx (Jan 24, 2011)

I thought this poll amusing. I noticed how the humble TJ all said no, where the TP answered yes and no to both. heh, this is why TJ's are so damn sexy and adorable, just saying!...oh, and didn't vote btw


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## cue5c (Oct 12, 2011)

MuChApArAdOx said:


> I thought this poll amusing. I noticed how the humble TJ all said no, where the TP answered yes and no to both. heh, this is why TJ's are so damn sexy and adorable, just saying!...oh, and didn't vote btw


And then some ENTJ had to ruin it. :wink:


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## bellisaurius (Jan 18, 2012)

A while ago, one of the people who worked for me complained that they did more work than anyone else. I told them,"You do a lot, but you need to keep in mind that you see 100% of what you do, and less than 100% of what everyone else does." 

Intelligence as I think most of us define it tends to concern "how much thinking do you do, and how effective is it?" Much like the worker above, since we can't see what other people are thinking, and we're generally guessing on what they're trying to achieve and how interested they are in getting it, our assessments need to be tempered. That said one should be proud of how they use the intelligence they have, much like one should be proud of the work they do.


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## KneeSeekerArrow (Jan 8, 2012)

I do, because I am.


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## M1R4G3 (Aug 21, 2011)

I am above average. The idea that knowing that would change me is a little foolish. I am smarter than normal, I can understand and comprehend and I don't intend to allow that to keep me from learning more. It is not a race to see who can understand the most, it is a race to see who can make the most of what they have. Intellectual superiority is simply being able to grasp things with more relative ease, I fail to see why people are trying to have humility on the subject. It makes you look no better or worse through my eyes.
Are you? Yes, no.


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## Abraxas (May 28, 2011)

Awesome. Another thread based on bullshit.

Whee, these are getting fun - or maybe I am just getting used to PerC!

On topic: Aww hell yeah. I'm the smartest. Especially because I'm an INTJ. Being a Ni-dom makes me a fucking wizard dude. Like, I can see the future. Do you know what an advantage that is? Dude, I always win. Always.

Always.

*looks at the ENTPs*

*puts on his sunglasses and grins*


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## Peter (Feb 27, 2010)

Xee said:


> Do you consider yourself intellectually superior to the vast majority of people you know?
> Or superior in general?
> 
> If so, how often do you meet people you feel inferior to, or on level with? Can you describe these people?
> ...


Wait, you asked the same question twice but in 2 very different ways. First you asked if we "consider" ourselves superior. Then you change that into "feeling of superiority". Those 2 are not the same thing.

I do consider myself intellectually superior to the vast majority. That's not strange because I have an above average IQ which puts me in the top 5% which automatically means I have an higher IQ than the vast majority (95%).

But I don't feel superior. If I would feel superior, I wouldn't actually be as great as I consider myself to be. Feelings of superiority are a blatant sign of narcissism and lack of self-confidence.


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## wiarumas (Aug 27, 2010)

VAST majority? No. Majority? Yes.

To put things into perspective a bit, if you can read and write on this forum, you may be intellectually superior to 15-20% of the world's population (illiteracy rate). I know that literacy doesn't equate intelligence, but chances are good that you could run circles around them in any type of intellectual measurement for the simple fact that you advanced your knowledge because you can read whereas they could not.

In America, 15% don't even graduate high school, 30% have a bachelors, 7% have masters, 3% have PhDs, and the rest have a mix of some college and/or associates. That means if you graduated with a 4 year degree, you have more formal education than approximately 60% of the population and the quality of which can pit you against others with a bachelors degree having you fall anywhere between 60-90% of the population. I don't want to make the mistake that formal education equates intelligence because there are plenty of people who graduate college who are relatively stupid and many who do not and are quite intelligent. However, I'd assume that would be the exception and not the norm, so an assumption that there would be a 5-20% deviation would suffice.

You also have to to put things into context and not overestimate the intelligence of the average person. If you go to college or work in a field that demands at least a half a brain, you will most likely have a skewed vision of what is average amongst your peers. Its just like money - I know plenty of $100k+ people who are surprised to hear that the average household income in America is $50000 or even worse, that the global income is $7k. The average that exists in the people you work with, your friends, and the neighborhood you live in is not always an accurate reprentation because its people in a similar situation as you.

With that said, taking multiple criteria into account - standardized measurements such as high IQ, high SAT score, level of education, high GPA (check, check, check, check) and subjective measures such as good college, prestigious company, I'm well read, performance in intellectual feats such as academic competitions, and opinions of others, I'd say its safe to say that I'm intellectually superior to the majority (which isn't that hard to do). Vast majority is where it gets fuzzy because there is a significant grey area.


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## DeductiveReasoner (Feb 25, 2011)

I clicked "Yes" because the vast majority of people around me are stupid high school kids.

You don't have to count my vote if you don't want to.


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## DeductiveReasoner (Feb 25, 2011)

Abraxas said:


> Awesome. Another thread based on bullshit.
> 
> Whee, these are getting fun - or maybe I am just getting used to PerC!
> 
> ...


Let me tell you, that's bullshit


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## Abraxas (May 28, 2011)

DeductiveReasoner said:


> Let me tell you, that's bullshit


Better call in your friends.

So far, it looks like INTJs have the best ratio. 3-to-1.


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## WolfStar (Aug 18, 2009)

I'm the only 'no' INTJ. I feel lonely now. Screw you other INTJs and your delusions of grandeur.

;D


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## bellisaurius (Jan 18, 2012)

You intjs aren't good at the social grace of false humility. If someone's posting in this thread, they're either feeling superior about their intelligence, or superior about their sense of humility. There's no winning; vanity of vanities, all is vanity and all that...


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## PulpFictionFan (Jul 12, 2010)

I'm an INTJ and I would defenitely say yes. There are way too many dumbasses out there who are only interested in facebook, drinking, and family guy. Seriously, I don't give a fuck about how many friends you have on facebook, how stewie beat brian's ass on family guy, or that you just got smashed last night. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!!! Tell me that bullshit after you finally find out how to solve a quadratic equation...


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## Abraxas (May 28, 2011)

Lol.

INTJs are the best trolls ever, I'm sorry. Do not dispute me.


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## WolfStar (Aug 18, 2009)

bellisaurius said:


> You intjs aren't good at the social grace of false humility. If someone's posting in this thread, they're either feeling superior about their intelligence, or superior about their sense of humility. There's no winning; vanity of vanities, all is vanity and all that...


Hahahahahaha. It's what makes it fun.


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## redmanXNTP (May 17, 2011)

Yes, and it's usually true. I also know that that's a dangerous thing to think about myself, and it can lead to arrogance and complacency. 

I'm enough of a screwup in a lot of different areas however, to keep me humble. Plus, as I've learned over the years the world tends to recognize and reward reliability far more than it does genius. 

Also, with maturity I've found that others with less forthright demeanors can have a great amount of wisdom and intelligence, often far more than I originally realized, only it's been out of sight because they don't advertise it. 

Finally, there are other forms of intelligence, including emotional intelligence, that are foreign to me but that I've learned to respect over time.


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## Mr. Limpopo (Oct 7, 2011)

Chipps said:


> you are bound to meet *someone*


To be fair, he said majority, not everyone.

Honestly, most NTs should be voting yes. It's been said many times that NTs have been found to be smarter than the rest of the population and have a much easier time grasping new intellectual ideas/subjects. [insert spiel about how IQ is 100% flawed and garbage and how there are downsides to being an NT, no matter how irrelevent to the OP, etc.]


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## koalaroo (Nov 25, 2011)

I don't generally go around viewing myself as intellectually superior to anyone, until I end up in a situation where I'm thinking, "This person deserves a Picard double facepalm for what he/she just said."


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## kiwig0ld (Nov 7, 2010)

I'm going to say No because as intelligent as I think I am, I always come across that one person who is just... Wow. I give up, you're smarter then me, I'm not f'n with you smart.


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## Owfin (Oct 15, 2011)

Mr. Limpopo said:


> Honestly, most NTs should be voting yes. It's been said many times that NTs have been found to be smarter than the rest of the population and have a much easier time grasping new intellectual ideas/subjects. [insert spiel about how IQ is 100% flawed and garbage and how there are downsides to being an NT, no matter how irrelevent to the OP, etc.]


Actually, my issue with what you are saying here is that it is asking if you _consider_ yourself to be superior, not if you _are_. It seems more like a question about your opinion about yourself than one about fact.


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## goodgracesbadinfluence (Feb 28, 2011)

PulpFictionFan said:


> I'm an INTJ and I would defenitely say yes. There are way too many dumbasses out there who are only interested in facebook, drinking, and family guy. Seriously, I don't give a fuck about how many friends you have on facebook, how stewie beat brian's ass on family guy, or that you just got smashed last night. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!!! Tell me that bullshit after you finally find out how to solve a quadratic equation...


THIS is why I voted yes.


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## GnothiSeauton (Sep 11, 2011)

IQ scores say, about 125.

GnothiSeauton answers, as stupid as a sheep.

Life's going to be tough for me.


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## Donovan (Nov 3, 2009)

edit: forget it... lol.


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## GnothiSeauton (Sep 11, 2011)

celticstained said:


> edit: forget it... lol.


Hey, it's okay that I'm dumb, but please don't play fun of me. 
Now you've made me terribly curious.


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## Donovan (Nov 3, 2009)

GnothiSeauton said:


> Hey, it's okay that I'm dumb, but please don't play fun of me.
> Now you've made me terribly curious.


lol ok.

i was going to tell you that if you do put a lot of stock into i.q. tests as an accurate measurement of one's innate natural intelligence/ability, then don't feel bad . supposedly, the average is around 100 (depending on what school of thought/test you listen to), and even a 5-point increase is supposed to set you apart quite a bit (even though a score can range between 10-15 points...?). 

so, being around 25 points above the "average person" makes you a great deal more intelligent. 

anyhow, i 'retracted my statement' since your post could have been taken more than one way and i could have been "mollifying" a jackass. 

anyhow, that was all :tongue:.


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## Donkey D Kong (Feb 14, 2011)

Yes - INTJ

I've noticed it since I was a little kid, but I don't act like I'm better than others, even though I am intellectually superior to them.


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## Dionysus (Jun 8, 2010)

haha 2/3 intps and basically all intj's are dicks


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## sarek (May 20, 2010)

I am INFP with a strong T component. I would have voted yes but I believe its not because others are any less intelligent. Its just that most people use their brains in ways that are not immediately apparent so they seem dumber than they are.


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## ProfessorLiver (Mar 19, 2011)

Depends what you mean by "intellect" and "superior" and "do" and "consider" and also "you"


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## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

I've seen my fair share of humanity. I don't consider, I _know_.


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## Erudis (Jan 23, 2011)

Intellectually superior to the majority of people around me? No, because I like to surround myself with smart people.

Intellectually superior to the majority of people? Probably yes, for the reasons presented by @wiarumas. Just the fact that I can read, have access to a lot of information (through the internet, books, etc) and have a bachelor's degree probably puts me in the minority of "intellectually superior people", which is a sad thing.


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## GnothiSeauton (Sep 11, 2011)

celticstained said:


> lol ok.
> 
> i was going to tell you that if you do put a lot of stock into i.q. tests as an accurate measurement of one's innate natural intelligence/ability, then don't feel bad . supposedly, the average is around 100 (depending on what school of thought/test you listen to), and even a 5-point increase is supposed to set you apart quite a bit (even though a score can range between 10-15 points...?).
> 
> ...


 I actually know an IQ of 125 is above average. My post was meant to be read in a both serious and humorous way, pretty much as everything that comes out of my mouth. "It's okay that it's above average, but I'll always be skeptical of my own intelligence, both because IQ tests are not that good measure and because 125 is no genius score. I ultimately know myself better than any test."
And I guess the sheep thrown in there made everything more playful.

Thanks for your clarification though :tongue:


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## Mr. Limpopo (Oct 7, 2011)

define [every word you just said] and maybe i'll give you a mushy response


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## wingcharm (Jan 2, 2012)

I'm an INTP and I said no, because I really am not. However, I'll say "Yes" when it comes to "making sense" and "knowing what I'm thinking or believing".

Majority of people are gullible and act like robot. Doing or believing something without understanding it, just because it's the trend or it's popular. So if the intellectual superiority will be based from that then call me conceited but I will stand tall, raise my head and do a big bwahahaha and say YES!


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