An Interview with Charles Peden on the Glia Society and High-IQ Societies (Part Two)
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2020/08/01
Abstract
Charles Peden is a Member of the Glia Society. He discusses: growing up; an extended self; the family background; experience with peers and schoolmates; the purpose of intelligence tests; high intelligence discovered; geniuses; the greatest geniuses in history; a genius from a profoundly intelligent person; some work experiences and educational certifications; the more important aspects of the idea of the gifted and geniuses; some social and political views; the God concept; science; the tests taken and scores earned; the range of the scores; scores earned on alternative intelligence tests; and ethical philosophy.
Keywords: Charles Peden, experiences, genius, Glia Society, high-IQ, Paul Cooijmans.
An Interview with Charles Peden on the Glia Society and High-IQ Societies (Part Two)[1],[2]*
*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citation style listing after the interview.*
1. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: When we’re looking at high-IQ societies, what are some areas for improvement?
Charles Peden: Religions have group services at regular intervals that reinforce their beliefs. The periodic meetings also serve to reinforce the social cohesion amongst the members. Religions also have written guidance that serves to allow the disparate members to function as a group and leverage their influence throughout the world and within their local communities. I think there is much that can be learned from such functions which may increase the interest in, and influence of, high I.Q. societies. But I have no detailed plan.
The journal Thoth is a form of periodic reinforcement as is the GliaWebNews.
2. Jacobsen: Why do most of the high-IQ societies seem to congregate online more than in-person?
Peden: People who have a specialized interest in high-range I.Q. testing seem to be randomly interspersed throughout the world. Of course, the internet allows people with specialized interests to unite virtually, irrespective of how they are separated physically. In my case, I do not personally know anyone who has qualified for a high I.Q. society, so the only fellowship I get to experience from my achievement is through online connections.
3. Jacobsen: Why is there such a turnover in the number of high-IQ societies? Many either defunct, in limbo, or functioning merely as branding cover for a personality, a theory, or as a parody on the whole notion of super-high-IQs and accurate measurements at those levels.
Peden: There seems to be no shortage of intentions in the world. I personally have a vast reserve of good intentions, so I recognize them when I see them. What is truly remarkable and valuable is the grind of keeping one’s self on track, even when one’s glamorous expectations begin to ‘moo’.
4. Jacobsen: What tends to be the ethical leanings and political orientations of these high-IQ societies, e.g., democratic, authoritarian, or anarchic?
Peden: I am not so familiar with other high I.Q. societies outside of the Glia Society. But I haven’t noticed any sort of thematic political connection amongst famous (to me) high I.Q. celebrities (i.e., Scott Adams, Rick Rosner, Jamie Loftus, James Woods, The Amazing Randi, etc.).
5. Jacobsen: Out of those forms of ethical leanings and political orientations, what one seem to bring out the best behaviour and community construction for the high-range?
Peden: I don’t know if I am projecting, but to me it appears that high-range people seem very kind in general. It’s as if they see others as deserving of kindness and respect unless the others do something to violate that right.
6. Jacobsen: What is the Glia Society?
Peden: It is a community created to reward aspiring individuals for pushing themselves to attain the standard required for admission. This concept has roots that seem ubiquitous throughout tribal cultures worldwide. The main difference being that the Glia Society has rites of passage that are based on contemporary measurements of intelligence.
7. Jacobsen: Why is the Glia Society focused on Europe?
Peden: The quiet truth is the ‘Mecca’ of the Glia Society springs from the Netherlandic town of Lieshout — Paul Cooijmans’s home town. The growth extends outward from there, but I don’t think of it as being ‘focused’ on Europe. Society members are worldwide.
8. Jacobsen: When did you join the group?
Peden: I believe I qualified in 2014 and joined soon after qualifying.
9. Jacobsen: How did you qualify for the Glia Society?
Peden: I achieved a qualifying score on the Cartoons of Shock I.Q. test.
10. Jacobsen: What is Thoth?
Peden: There is the journal of the Glia Society which is called “Thoth”. There is also a future Grail Society member who has been in contact with Paul Cooijmans who is also called Thoth. I think “Thoth” was also an ancient Egyptian god.
11. Jacobsen: Have you contributed to it?
Peden: I have made contributions to the journal Thoth since before I became a member. It is not required to be a member of the Glia Society before making contributions to the society’s journal.
12. Jacobsen: I love the phrase “A Megalomaniac’s Waterloo” by Cooijmans. It is the coda on the separating of the wheat from the chaff of the high-range. Many come to these tests thinking rather highly of their innate gifts, which seem apparent while not as high as assumed by them. How would you describe the world of the high-range?
Peden: High-range I.Q. results can play havoc with one’s ego. I think it is helpful to realize that intelligence appears most pronounced in the context of novel situations. But intelligence can seem inferior when one is among those with more experience. Intelligence is an ability that can have an enhancing effect on what one does, including the stories one tells themselves of how valuable they are.
13. Jacobsen: Why did you join the high-IQ community in the first place?
Peden: Life can be difficult and sometimes finding a niche where one is good enough can be very validating. Joining a high I.Q. community has become my shield against life’s many ‘demons’ of ostracism.
Appendix I: Footnotes
[1] Member, Glia Society.
[2] Individual Publication Date: August 1, 2020: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/peden-two; Full Issue Publication Date: September 1, 2020: https://in-sightjournal.com/insight-issues/.
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
Copyright
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. All interviewees and authors co-copyright their material and may disseminate for their independent purposes.
In-Sight Publishing 