>I was thought to be a child prodigy with exceptional mathematical gifts; in 1975 I was the first high-school student in the institution’s memory to present original research at the annual meeting of the American Mathematical Society. Unusually large working memory, check. I’m pretty sure the authors would consider me a genius, unless they know a lot of people who have been all of: A-list software architects, New York Times bestselling authors also nominated for a Campbell Award, musicians good enough to do session work on two albums, world-championship-level players of strategy games, speakers who’ve drawn packed crowds on six continents, martial-arts instructors, sought-after advisors to investment bankers, and founders of successful reform movements that arguably changed history.
If that's not enough for you, there's other articles in which he fancies himself a skilled pick up artist.
A mix of middling competence, unremarkable anecdotes, half truths, and apparent lies. None of which is reason for such arrogance.
Anyway, I don't find his hypothesis very convincing. Not caring what others think of you gives you plenty of time to read novels, play video games, and watch television.
Do you have evidence that the claims he made here are inaccurate ?
I don't necessarily think accurately presenting one's accomplishments for the purpose of explaining the life basis for one's views constitutes arrogance, and even if it does a little arrogance in extraordinary individuals seems like a very minor fault compared against the spectrum of human defects responsible for the state of the world today. That isn't to say that arrogance can't lead to dangerous thought leadership but I think if you take harmless displays such as this as a signal to reject a person's entire viewpoint you will miss out on some ideas that are worth considering. What if everyone had shunned Linus Torvalds because of some of his personality traits ?
>founders of successful reform movements that arguably changed history
I have no idea what he's on about here, but just by making this kind of grandiose claim he makes me skeptical.
>New York Times bestselling authors also nominated for a Campbell Award
I can't find any evidence he has a New York Times Bestseller and would be rather surprised to see that TCATB was one.
>world-championship-level players of strategy game
This is more the level of half truth. From what I can find, he says once he placed top 5 in Power Grid at a convention with 2000 participants and 100 games in Lancaster PA. http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=6125
All you have left after that is his genius programming ability (which to my understanding isn't widely agreed upon).
>I don't necessarily think accurately presenting one's accomplishments for the purpose of explaining the life basis for one's views constitutes arrogance
I would agree with you if that kind of self congratulation wasn't endemic to his writing (in this post and others). And anyway I did consider his viewpoint and don't find it convincing.
Apologies to everyone for the ad-hominem flame-fest I seem to have triggered. I would have preferred this to stay on topic.
jere, you do make a good point that there is more to it than just having free time and energy. e.g. There is also the "systemising" impulse often seen in high-functioning autistic individuals that seems suited to success in modern times.
Sorry, I can't.
>I was thought to be a child prodigy with exceptional mathematical gifts; in 1975 I was the first high-school student in the institution’s memory to present original research at the annual meeting of the American Mathematical Society. Unusually large working memory, check. I’m pretty sure the authors would consider me a genius, unless they know a lot of people who have been all of: A-list software architects, New York Times bestselling authors also nominated for a Campbell Award, musicians good enough to do session work on two albums, world-championship-level players of strategy games, speakers who’ve drawn packed crowds on six continents, martial-arts instructors, sought-after advisors to investment bankers, and founders of successful reform movements that arguably changed history.
If that's not enough for you, there's other articles in which he fancies himself a skilled pick up artist.
Raymond reminds me of Aleksey Vayner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impossible_Is_Nothing_(video_r...
A mix of middling competence, unremarkable anecdotes, half truths, and apparent lies. None of which is reason for such arrogance.
Anyway, I don't find his hypothesis very convincing. Not caring what others think of you gives you plenty of time to read novels, play video games, and watch television.