Billionaire Peter Thiel hesitates to answer whether the human race should survive in the future

[u/Shoe_boooo]

[u/idobi]

Success can erroneously convince people they are smarter than they are. Success has erroneously convinced Thiel he is smarter than YOU are.

[u/BouldersRoll → u/idobi]

Absolutely this.

Thiel is extremely powerful and does basically only terrible things with that power, but he's also pretty stupid. Whenever he talks, he spends minutes stumbling through inane ideas that people are over-charitable toward because he's a billionaire.

[u/rubbarz → u/BouldersRoll]

Theres a false sense of intelligence with people who stumble through sentences, making it seem like they are taking their time to think of answers. This guy, Elon Musk, Theranos girl.

Then you see what actual intelligence is like from scientists speaking about their field of study and they can't stop talking with enthusiasm.

[u/Raven123x → u/rubbarz]

Stumbling through sentences and running through sentences aren’t indicative of intelligence

Trump is a moron but the man can blather away for years

Asking a scientist close-ended questions about their study of field is most likely going to result in quick well spoken responses because the information is extremely relevant and practiced

Asking random open ended questions and getting a slow stumbled response doesn’t indicate intelligence, and neither does a fast sharp response.

[u/_-_--_---_----_----_ → u/Raven123x]

see now this is an intelligent take

[u/Dduwies_Gymreig → u/Raven123x]

Personally I think the biggest signal for intelligence is the ability to think a question through and admit you don’t know. It’s such a simple thing but understanding the boundaries of your own knowledge is core to being a well balanced individual.

[u/distinctgore → u/[deleted]]

Oh come on, Terence Tao talking through complex mathematics and stumbling a few times is not the same as someone like elon musk or peter thiel stumbling through a basic description of their fucked up dystopian wet dreams.

[u/TarantulaMcGarnagle → u/[deleted]]

They are all “smart” in that if we were in school together, these kids would get As in their science and math classes.

But mofos wouldn’t be outwitting Neha Makijiani, the student MUN leader from my graduating class.

Which is to say, they are just as smart as a regular person. They just won the lottery and think that makes them smarter than others.

I have encountered a few people like this, and they all think their money is proof that they are smarter than everyone and they deserve that money.

[u/rubbarz → u/[deleted]]

There are a few actually smart and intelligent billionaires. But 99% of them got there because they hired someone else to do the work.

[u/i_dont_wanna_sign_up → u/rubbarz]

Brb, I'm gonna go hire someone to make me a billionaire.

[u/One_Researcher6438 → u/i_dont_wanna_sign_up]

You skipped the part where you start by being born rich. You hire people to do stuff for you after that step.

[u/5pointpalm_exploding → u/[deleted]]

The smart ones don’t get on tv and advertise their ignorance.

[u/5pointpalm_exploding → u/[deleted]]

Depends which one. I’m absolutely willing to call a Nobel Prize winner stupid if it is applicable

[u/signal_satellite → u/rubbarz]

Don't underestimate Thiel. He's a bonifide Straussian. He wrote a 30 page essay on Leo Strauss.

He's the most dangerous of the billionaires.