Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/05/17

https://in-sightpublishing.com/books/

Acknowledgements

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 1: Manahel Thabet for being the first in this series and giving a gauge on the feasibility of this project, and to Evangelos Katsioulis, Jason Betts, Marco Ripà, Paul Cooijmans, Rick Rosner; in spite of far more men in these communities, it, interview wise, started with a woman, even the Leo Jung Mensa article arose from the generosity of a woman friend, Jade.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 2: Claus Volko, Deb Stone, Erik Haereid, Hasan Zuberi, Ivan Ivec, Kirk Kirkpatrick, Monika Orski, and Rick Rosner.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 3: Andreas Gunnarsson, Anja Jaenicke, Christian Sorensen, Claus Volko, Dionysios Maroudas, Florian Schröder, Ronald K. Hoeflin, Erik Hae reid, Giuseppe Corrente, Graham Powell, Guillermo Alejandro Escárcega Pliego, HanKyung Lee, James Gordon, Kirk Kirkpatrick, Krystal Volney, Laurent Dubois, Marco Ripà, Matthew Scillitani, Mislav Predavec, Owen Cosby, Richard Sheen, Rick Farrar, Rick Rosner, Sandra Schlick, Tiberiu Sammak, Tim Roberts, Thomas Wolf, Tom Chittenden, Tonny Sellén, Tor Jørgensen.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 4: Björn Liljeqvist, Christian Sorenson, Claus Volko, Dionysios Maroudas, Sandra Schlick, Erik Haereid, Giuseppe Corrente, Guillermo Alejandro Escárcega Pliego, HanKyung Lee, James Gordon, Justin Duplantis, Kirk Kirkpatrick, Laurent Dubois, Marco Ripà, Matthew Scillitani, Mislav Predavec, Richard Sheen, Rick Farrar, Rick G. Rosner, Thomas Wolf, Tiberiu Sammak, Tim Roberts, Tom Chittenden, Tonny Sellén, and Tor Arne Jørgensen.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 5: Anthony Sepulveda, Christian Sorenson, Claus Volko, Dionysios Maroudas, Erik Haereid, Giuseppe Corrente, Guillermo Alejandro Escárcega Pliego, Heinrich Siemens, Hindemburg Melão Jr., Jason Robert, Julien Garrett Arpin, Justin Du plantis, Marios Sophia Prodromou, Matthew Scillitani, Mhedi Banafshei, Rick Rosner, Tiberiu Sammak, Tor Arne Jørgensen, and Veronica Palladino.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 6: Anas El-Husseini, Andrew Watters, Anthony Sepul veda, Arturo Escorza Pedraza, Beatrice Rescazzi, Bob Williams, Byunghyun Ban (반병현), Cas per Tvede Busk, Charles Peden, Craig Shelton, Christian Sorensen, Claus Volko, Erik Haereid, Giuseppe Corrente, Justin Duplantis, Krystal Volney, Mhedi Banafshei, Paul Cooijmans, Rich ard May (“May-Tzu”/”MayTzu”/”Mayzi”), Richard Sheen, Shalom Dickson, Thor Fabian Petter sen, Tiberiu Sammak, Tim Roberts, Tor Arne Jørgensen, and Anonymous Canadian High-IQ Community Member.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 7: Anas El Husseini, Aníbal Sánchez Numa, Anthony Sepulveda (Brown), Anja Jaenicke, Beatrice Rescazzi, Bîrlea Cristian, Bob Williams, Christian Sorensen, Clelia Albano, Eivind Olsen, Erik Haereid, Gernot Feichter, Giuseppe Corrente, Glia Society Member #479, Graham Powell, Hakan E. Kayioglu, Heinrich Siemens, Justin Duplantis,

Kishan Harrysingh, Kirk Kirkpatrick, Marios Prodromou, Mhedi Banafshei, Mohammed Karim Benazzi Jabri, Monika Orski, Richard May (“May-Tzu”/”MayTzu”/”Mayzi”), Sandra Schlick, Tiberiu Nicolas Sammak, and Tor Arne Jørgensen.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 8: Anthony Sepulveda, Anja Jaenicke, Antjuan Finch, Benoit Desjardins, Bishoy Goubran, Bob Williams, Charles Peden, Chris Cole, Christopher Har ding, Christian Sorensen, Daniel Shea, Dong Geon Lee, Eivind Olsen, Entemake Aman (阿曼), Erik Haereid, Gareth Rees, Gary Whitehall, Glenn Alden, Jiwhan (Jason) Park, Luca Fiorani,

Masaaki Yamauchi, Masaaki Yamauchi, Matthew Scillitani, Michael Isom, Olav Hoel Dørum, Paul Cooijmans, Richard May, Rick Rosner, Rickard Sagirbay, Shalom Dickson, Sudarshan Murthy, Svein Olav Glesaaen Nyberg, Tim Roberts, and Tor Arne Jørgensen.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 9: Anthony Sepulveda (Brown), Antjuan Finch, Benoit Desjardins, Bob Williams, Christopher Angus, Clelia Albano, Craig Shelton, Daniel Hilton, Donald Wayne Stoner, Dong Geon Lee, Dr. Benoit Desjardins, Eivind Olsen, Erik Haereid, Gareth Rees, Hiroshi Murasaki, LaRae Bakerink, Luca Fiorani, Michael Baker, Paul Cooijmans, Ricardo Rosselló Nevares, Richard May (“May-Tzu”/”MayTzu”/”Mayzi”), Rick Rosner, Simon Olling Rebsdorf, Sudarshan Murthy, Tor Arne Jørgensen, and Uwe Michael Neumann.

For Some Smart People: Views and Lives 10: Anthony Sepulveda (Brown), Bob Williams, Chris Cole, Entemake Aman (阿曼), Erik Haereid, Eivind Olsen, Gernot Feichter, Graham Powell, Harry Royalster, Iakovos Koukas, Larae Bakerink, Paul Cooijmans, Richard May (“May Tzu”/”MayTzu”/”Mayzi”), Rick Rosner, Scott Durgin, Tor Arne Jørgensen, and Uwe Michael Neumann.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Foreword by Bob Williams

Those of you who are going to read this volume most likely share high intelligence and the associated interests and behaviors that are discussed in these interviews. You will likely share one common thought… you will have asked yourself “What is intelligence?” When researchers and scholars address this question, they typically give slightly different descriptions that are both enigmatic and consistent with our personal answers. Carl Bereiter gave us the definition that I consider to be the most elegant: “Intelligence is what you use when you don’t know what to do.” While this is more precisely a definition of fluid intelligence, it is the most central aspect of the thing that differentiates the people featured in this issue from the large majority of people who exist happily and productively, but with different life experiences.

When I read the interviews in In-Sight, I am impressed with the large diversity of thought that is apparent in the contributors. Some take the path of philosophy, abstraction, spirituality, and imagination as their life focus. Others have taken on the tasks of measurement, data, analysis, and replication as is seen in their university majors, careers, and thought patterns. The result of this divide (humanities or STEM interests) is clearly evident in the interviews in this volume. Readers are likely to find one or two interviews that resonate with their personal views and interests. I was particularly interested in the interview with Tor Arne Jørgensen on Nuclear Armaments. My interest was that I spent six years in the US nuclear weapons program at the time SALT was rapidly changing the US warhead needs (to match the disarmament agreements). I was also drawn to the discussions of high range intelligence tests, as I have written some essays on that topic. One of the interviews (which one will remain private) shocked me. Perhaps various interviews will have this effect in relation to different topics for some readers.

Another unexpected experience in reading these and other interviews is that they have given me the opportunity to understand some of the people I have known through HiQ online discussions, by learning more about their personal lives, experiences, and interests. I even found a couple of

mentions of things that have been important to me, but not items I would expect to find other people mentioning. [One of those was a mention of the Amiga computer. I owned and loved three of these machines when they were able to run circles around the crude DOS and Apple alternatives of the late 80s.

You have a great resource before you and one that holds unexpected links to the warm spots in your heart. Enjoy!

Foreword by Gernot Feichter

When I was asked to write the foreword and received the draft, my mouth slightly opened and I thought: “Ugh, two hundred pages”. Only then did I realize the volume number of this series was ten, and my chin fell further down into lockout. Apart from this, it also needs to be mentioned that a plethora of writings fitting the same topic were also published in independent publications. I think it is safe to say that the investigative work of Scott Jacobsen in this weird, previously veiled scene of high IQ testing is absolutely unparalleled. If Scott were to qualify for the World Genius Directory, and I am sure he could, Jason (the founder) would need to start polishing the Genius of the Year Award ball (trophy) immediately upon his entrance. I think I speak for the entire community when I say that we deeply appreciate and respect the outstanding efforts you have invested into all of this!

When listening to many high IQ people, it appears that they generally feel underappreciated. This is also reflected in the media. Apart from some movies, a few documentaries or TV shows, and various niche web presences, these people generally do not receive much attention. That is absolutely weird since the human race generally glorifies overachievers in many areas of human endeavor, be it in sports or business, for example. Adding the fact that most sports have no directly beneficial purpose like food production or providing shelter, this becomes even stranger. Maybe many high IQ people are like owning a race car that is parked in a closed garage. In any case, I believe this series portrays these curious folks very well. It shows that these gifted people are not as bloodthirsty as thought and struggle with life probably as much as any ordinary person.

Some are drawn to high IQ societies where they can exchange with like-minded individuals, and this issue covers major ones in detail. It was a big surprise to me to hear how large and organized Mensa has become, as I have never been a member myself. Also included are interviews of famed high IQ test author Paul Cooijmans, mostly focusing on the Glia Society. There was a humorous saying that an IQ of 160 on his tests would mean 180 in the real world. But in every joke, there is a grain of truth, which shows how respected he is in the field and the quality of his norms.

Nevertheless, I have also heard about higher IQ people having trouble feeling accepted in such societies. Also, the romantic cliche of the introverted genius busy searching for the Holy Grail holds some truth, as it turns out. Many of humanity’s advances certainly would not have been

possible without collaboration and exchange. However, significant breakthroughs were often achieved by isolated thinkers. Could you invent calculus while babbling? So, I guess we need both, and on an individual level, we should just follow our personal preferences.

Finally, it should be pointed out that some philosophies regarding the big existential mysteries of consciousness are shared herein by the famous super high genius (and pervert! ;-)) Rick Rosner. I have to confess having been a fanboy when entering the field of high-range testing after watch ing some videos about him. I had always thought I was the biggest freak, but I was proven wrong. So, enjoy reading!

Foreword by Harry Kanigel

I first became aware of Scott Jacobsen’s work several years ago when I came across his hilarious interview with Rick Rosner in one of the earlier editions of Views and Lives. Rosner appears again in this tenth edition, by turns stimulating and outrageous as ever. Here, Jacobsen partici pates in the interview as co-interviewee, effectively using the clever device of an anonymous interviewer. Perusing the interview, one’s attention is pinioned by its unflagging depth of Q&A, the boggling range of subject matter and Rosner’s disarming and matter-of-fact style.

Jacobsen’s conversation with Uwe Michael Neumann is similarly compelling. In this long, searching discussion, Jacobsen is intent on revealing the creative powers of Neumann, who reveals the world through nature photography, reifying his talents in ways that Jacobsen clearly admires and expertly gives expression to.

In 2022, Jacobsen sat down with a group of Norwegian members of high IQ societies with the object, perhaps, of teasing out a unique national perspective. Interestingly, all of Jacobsen’s interviewees punted in response Scott’s feeler first question “How do Norwegians view themselves within the various high-IQ communities?”

Undaunted, Jacobsen switched gears with a different set of “feeler” questions. In the end, the panel settles into a self-congratulatory tone, blithely skittering past the obvious gigantic factor of Norway’s homogeneity, which greatly simplifies the social issues that divide a culture. Only passing reference is made to Norway’s small population. The reader must decide but this reader is pretty sure that what Jacobsen is deploying here, with ironic flourish, is that venerable tactic, immortalized by Muhammad Ali, of rope-a-dope where the subject is lulled into smug complacency.

Views and Lives 10 also includes a thorough, workman-like, high-level treatment of Mensa by means of an interview with LaRae Bakerink, who was until recently the Elected Chair of American Mensa and a Member of the Executive Committee of the International Board of Directors of Mensa International. This interview is a useful digest of the ebb and flow of Mensa’s membership rolls, social, internet centric and national factors that affect those dynamics and, generally, the health of the organization, world-wide. LaRae weighs in on some of the intricacies of Mensa community and activities and gives a vivid account of what one can expect at Mensa gatherings at various levels of organizational hierarchy notably but not exclusively the Annual Gathering. Here’s a snippet:

“That’s what really gets people excited about it because of the different things we do at our events. I’ve been to a lot of conferences in my life and Mensa conferences are the most unique I’ve ever been to. Because there are no parameters on what’s going to be discussed or what presentations, they’re going to be everything from aardvark to zoo, just the whole range. I think we had this young man who built his own robot. He’s eight or nine years old. Built his own robot, programmed it and then came and gave a presentation on it. Just amazing, amazing, young man. And then we have people talk about how to travel, where to travel, the best ways to travel, just everything you can think of. But it’s all going on at the same time at the same conference.

“So, you’re never at a loss for something to go look at. Plus, there’s a huge games room because our people are really into games and puzzles. And pretty vicious about it, sometimes, the tournaments get real…”

Views and Lives 10 continues the now 11 part epic interview with Anthony Sepulveda, a member of the World Genius Directory. The interview is, appropriately enough, something of a puzzle because it references the first 10 parts of Sepulveda’s sessions without explicating those references. This works surprisingly well, well enough that one can take a crack at decoding the actual content. Consider this case: (Jacobsen) What is the “relatively unusual form” of the ‘might makes right’ ethic in place?

Sepulveda then draws the analogy between life in the wild with modern life in which the tools of combat are in the (relatively) civilized realms of commerce, politics and the law, emphasizing the advantages of “…those of the top 0.1%.” and settling on the notion that the resulting social system is as “tyrannical as any found in nature.” It’s left to the reader to wonder silently whether Western Civilization is a refinement of nature red in tooth and claw. For his part, Sepulveda would do well to attend to the distinction between a democracy and a republic in his critique of Western institutions.

It’s tempting to call this latest edition his magnum opus but this would seem to slight Scott’s other opuses which have been similarly ambitious. Among the featured interviews are discussions of ADD and the relationship, if any, between various levels of IQ and mental illness, as well as this writer’s tale of casting about and lurching through his early years while seeking his place in the world.

Jacobsen is not shy about mixing it up with high octane topics, challenging and stretching the minds of his interview subjects. This current edition of Views and Lives (number 10) finds Scott digging through the mind of Editor of WIN Magazine of World Genius Directory fame, Graham Powell, who, in turn, traverses — within a single response — topics such as the lifetime of cathedrals, human striving and cosmology.

Jacobsen’s interest in the High IQ space preceded his formal study of it in psychology labs, reaching back even further to a fascination that was kindled in childhood.

In the end, Jacobsen has assembled a wide roster of interview subjects which have two things in common: they are members of highly selective I.Q. societies and, much more significantly, they have self-selected to be members of those societies. Beyond that, Jacobsen’s interview portraits tell unique stories. They range from high-profile celebrity “geniuses” such as Rosner to understated nerds to luminaries from the high IQ sub-culture in this tenth edition of Some Smart People.

Foreword by Rick Rosner

So the first question one has to ask at this point in time, Christmas Eve 2024, is: Are smart people obsolete?

Is AI still limited but making huge strides? You sent me that chart — the hockey stick chart of AI’s ability — where it starts off with a horizontal line, and by the time you get to the right side of the graph, it’s a vertical line. AI is getting smarter at a very disturbing rate.

I would argue that differences in human intelligence, within reason, matter less as our devices get smarter. We no longer usually measure how long it takes to travel, say, between cities in terms of human walking speed; it’s usually airplane speed. Soon, we will probably measure intelligence not in terms of human intelligence, but in terms of human intelligence augmented with technology. We could say that we are in the last days — the last years — of raw smart people navigating the world with their brains alone.

Smart people have had a pretty good run. Or rather, it’s not a great run because we only remember a few of the biggest, smartest people. We remember Newton and Einstein, and I’ll throw Darwin in there, though he’s not the first person that comes to mind.

Stephen Hawking — women are lucky to get crammed in there just because almost nobody else is remembered. Marie Curie gets credit for being smart, maybe Rosalind Franklin. I don’t know.

Margaret Atwood, for predicting, via The Handmaid’s Tale, is another example. If you ask people, they can name more athletes and actors than smart people, I would say. Smart people are really interesting, but only up to a point. People would rather look at Cate Blanchett and Colin Farrell than listen to Hawking. It’s okay if he has a cameo on Star Trek or in The Simpsons.

But, as my wife likes to tell me, “Talk to me about something less boring,” when I try to talk to her about physics. Life is set up or has evolved such that civilization, until recently, has protected social structures against too much disruption from smart people. Things like chess burn millions of hours of smart people’s brainpower with no significant effect on society. If every smart person in the world turned to real estate, they would drive everybody else out.

In fact, that’s kind of what we’re seeing now. Smart people plus technology are disrupting the world more than it has ever been disrupted before. All the protections that civilization had have been stripped away. So even though smart people’s advantage in the world is evaporating, there’s never been a better time for smart people plus technology to disrupt the world and for some lucky smart people to make billions of dollars. As of early 2024, Elon Musk’s net worth is estimated to be around $220,000,000,000.

He has had moments where he makes, not remembering the exact numbers, but it’s estimated to be a lot per second. So it’s an interesting time for smart people. Some of them are colossi bestriding the world, accumulating billions. And yet smart people and everybody else are about to be displaced by the people who are best at teaming up with AI.

Meanwhile, enjoy these many interviews with smart people.

Rick Rosner

December 24, 2024

Last updated May  3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices.  In Sight Publishing by Scott  Douglas  Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott  Douglas  Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.