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A common denominator in great people
April 17, 2015 at 9:39 pm
I have been wondering about and looking to apply the scientific method to an idea for a while. Is there a common feature exhibited people noted for their extraordinary intelligence that live long lives and continue produce good works very late in their lives?
In order to facilitate this I need a comprehensive list of such extra ordinary people. So far for my study I have 3 and possibly a 4th.
1. Bertrand russell
2. Charles Darwin
3. Democrit us
4? Roger bacon
I need help developing this list before I can progress and would love suggestions.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 17, 2015 at 9:55 pm
You would also need a control group of non-extraordinary people to ensure that the common feature is not just common to everyone. Also, be careful you're not going on a fishing expedition or data dredging. This can be useful for generating a hypothesis, but should be avoided when trying to confirm one. Here's a link that might be useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_dredging
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 5:43 pm
I'm definitely more in the stage of generating a hypotheses then confirming one. Hence I'm not searching for a control group just yet
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 5:55 pm
Churchill and E.O. Wilson come to mind.
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 7:05 pm
(This post was last modified: April 18, 2015 at 7:05 pm by Jenny A.)
Isaac Newton, George Handel, Galileo, Benjamen Franklin, Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Max Planck, E. M. Forster, Henry James.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 7:50 pm
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 7:53 pm
(This post was last modified: April 18, 2015 at 7:56 pm by abaris.)
(April 18, 2015 at 5:55 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: Churchill and E.O. Wilson come to mind.
What exactly made Churchill great in your opinion? He's only ever defined over his role in WWII, but the rest of his life wasn't all that glorious.
I wouldn't put any politician in that category, but only people who really pushed humanity forward. And that list would be endless, starting with many roman and greek philosophers and authors. The most defining feature, in my view, is going against and breaking up the mainstream of their times.
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 7:55 pm
Certainly not Gallipoli.
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 7:57 pm
(April 18, 2015 at 5:43 pm)Lemonvariable72 Wrote: I'm definitely more in the stage of generating a hypotheses then confirming one. Hence I'm not searching for a control group just yet
When you get there you will need at least three other groups: long-lived and productive but not particularly intelligent; intelligent but short lived for reasons other than violent death; ordinary but long lived. You are also going to have to adjust lifespan for generation and environment. Human lifespan varies tremendously with time and place.
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RE: A common denominator in great people
April 18, 2015 at 8:05 pm
@ abaris Remember, this isn't about great people, it's about extraordinary people. Whether or not Churchill was great is certainly debatable, but are you arguing he was not extraordinary? This quote about Churchill and success is rather illuminating: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
As for the merits of trying to identify a common variable in extraordinary people, I feel that the whole exercise or might be in vain. You may in fact be able to identify such traits, but I suspect there will be no predictive value in the findings. For instance, you might find that 'hard work' is a common trait in extraordinary people, but I doubt that you will be able to predict whether someone will end up being extraordinary just because they exhibit that trait. But, then again, I could be entirely wrong. So don't let me put you off.
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