An Interview with Justin Duplantis on Vidya, Editorial Direction, and Intelligence and Ethics (Part Three)
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2020/05/08
Abstract
Justin Duplantis is a Member of the Triple Nine Society and the current Editor of its journal entitled Vidya. He discusses: “Vidya” as a term; the importance of Vidya; current membership of the Triple Nine Society; a society in its values manifesting the good and the bad; trajectory of Vidya; inspirations; the more and less intelligence and the impacts of boredom on the former grouping; intelligence as important factor apart from other in a general way; and the main negative traits of the highly intelligent.
Keywords: editorial work, ethics, intelligence, Justin Duplantis, Triple Nine Society, Vidya.
An Interview with Justin Duplantis on Gifted Education Research, Myths About the Gifted, Positivity About Academia, and Deep Feeling: Editor, Vidya (Part Three)[1],[2]*
*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citation style listing after the interview.*
1. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So, “Vidya” is the Sanskrit term for learning, or some close equivalent. Any idea as to why this was the originally selected term for TNS?
Justin Duplantis: You are correct. As to who selected this name and why, I am unsure.
2. Jacobsen: How is Vidya “the glue and the duct tape that holds TNS together”?
Duplantis: Vidya plays an integral role in TNS. Although there are regional and international gatherings, many do not attend. Seeing as how it is a social club, the members interact virtually. One thing that I have implemented is a “New Members” section. This allows for new members to include a biography about themselves, along with their contact information. The hopes is that other members will read it, find relatability, and reach out. Additionally, there are members that simply do not get involved, so the bimonthly issues are the only real contact they have with the organization and their fellow members.
3. Jacobsen: What is the current membership of TNS, e.g., demographics, national representation, sex and gender split, etc.?
Duplantis: We do not track membership demographics to that degree. We have members all over the globe, with the majority residing in the US and Europe. TNS has been in the range of 2,000 members, for some time.
4. Jacobsen: What makes a good society? What makes a bad society?
Duplantis: A society is defined by its ethics and integrity, as a whole, and down to its individuals.
5. Jacobsen: When you’re looking at the trajectory of the content of Vidya, everyone editor has a style and a focus. We try to be as broad and inclusive, but we have limitations as human beings. If you reflect on personality, temperament, and abilities, what will be the expected projects, initiative, publications, and foci within Vidya?
Duplantis: I have always tried to be as inclusive as possible and give as many people an opportunity to share. In addition to the “New Members” section, I encourage the members to send in a business profile to advertise their company, send letters to the editor to be responded to, submit articles, and even send in art in all forms (ie short stories, poems, pictures of their paintings, etc.).
6. Jacobsen: Who inspires you?
Duplantis: I have a good friend that suffers from mental illness. Each day is a struggle and fight that he wages against it. He has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and has established a number of businesses. He is not afraid of failure. I, on the other hand, am terrified of it. I have aspirations of being a business owner, at some point. The small amount of confidence I possess is due to seeing his enthusiastic and fearless approach.
7. Jacobsen: What happens when the less intelligent become deviant, criminal, and destructive? What happens when the more intelligent become the aforementioned?
Duplantis: My theory is that the highly gifted enter criminal enterprises out of boredom. They are seeking a thrill and have been unable to find it through the educational system. If they were challenged and their interests realized, their potential could be fulfilled, rather than wasted. I am hopeful that my research will not only reinforce this theory, but give me the data to approach the educating of the gifted in an entirely different way. They can no longer be the lost segment of society, much like the autistic were a decade ago.
As for the less intelligent, much of it has to do with the environment in which these individuals are raised. At the end of the day, financial stability is a driving factor. People want to make the most money possible, doing the least amount of work. The irony is that a full-time employee of a fast food restaurant has a significantly higher income than an entry-level drug dealer. Educating the youth and showing them this research and statistics may help in reducing the number of individuals, on the opposite side of the bell curve, from entering that lifestyle.
8. Jacobsen: What seem like established facts about intelligence in psychological literature? What makes intelligence one trait among many others needing a great deal of balance amongst the litany of positive human attributes available in the human palette of talents?
Duplantis: I think that question in itself shows the general viewpoint on intelligence. I was in that camp once. I saw intelligence as a singular attribute, like athleticism. It is not. Being an athlete is independent. Intelligence is not. Athleticism does not effect every aspect of a person’s life. The average IQ is 100. If we take the same deviation on either side of the curve, let’s say 55 points, we have IQs of 45 and 155. The population easily looks at an individual with an IQ of 45 and draws a consensus that their profound delay will impact every aspect of their life, indefinitely. They are given resources to aid in their integration into society. Conversely speaking, when the highly gifted are looked at, intelligence is all of a sudden a single attribute. This is illogical. Just as the mentally delayed have a set of common characteristics that make it difficult for them to seamlessly integrate into society, so do the highly gifted.
9. Jacobsen: What are the main negative attributes, personality traits that can develop among highly intelligent women and men?
Duplantis: I prefer not to call any attribute negative. In moderation, they can all be seen in a positive light. With that said, there are some that certainly make relationships and societal integration more challenging. The three that come to mind are: extreme thinking, emotional sensitivity, and high moral standards. These make things difficult, as they go against our very culture.
Extreme thinking is seeing things in black and white. There is no gray. This is a common characteristic among the highly gifted and is certainly a struggle. The culture is one of flexibility. These are the rules, with the exception(s)…. Finding justifications for exceptionalities is, at times, impossible.
Emotional sensitivity leads to being labeled “dramatic” or an over-reactor. I surmise this is related to extreme thinking in that there is no gray in hurt. You either wronged me or didn’t. The levels of hurt are not present. It is either pain or no pain. There is no delineation. This leads to being perceived as sensitive, but also makes it appear as though the bigger things are taken in stride.
High moral standards are also interwoven with extreme thinking. Something is right or wrong. If one sees smoking as wrong, it is still wrong even when drinking. The justification for lowering moral standards, situationally, cannot be rationalized.
These views are in stark contrast to how society sees things. Society is made up of many shades of gray. Having such a divergent mindset makes relationships and societal integration difficult.
Appendix I: Footnotes
[1] Editor, Vidya, Triple Nine Society; Member, Executive Committee, Triple Nine Society.
[2] Individual Publication Date: May 8, 2020: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/duplantis-three; Full Issue Publication Date: September 1, 2020: https://in-sightjournal.com/insight-issues/.
*High range testing (HRT) should be taken with honest skepticism grounded in the limited empirical development of the field at present, even in spite of honest and sincere efforts. If a higher general intelligence score, then the greater the variability in, and margin of error in, the general intelligence scores because of the greater rarity in the population.
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