Compare and contrast langan and oppenheimer

The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 2

Chapter 4

Mega Geniuses Christopher Langan

“Smartest man in America” (maybe the world)

Average IQ = 100, Einstein 150, Chris 195-210

Speaking at 6 months of age

3-years-old taught himself to read

5-years-old questioned the existence of God

“In school, Langan could walk into a test in foreign-language class, not having studied at all, and if there were two or three minutes before the instructor arrived, he could skim through the textbook and ace the test.” p. 71

In spite of his enormous IQ, Chris Langan never won a Nobel Prize, never started a corporation like Bill Gates, never became a famous scientist, never achieved noteworthy success.

Difficult Family Background

Grew up in a poor & broken family.

Mother had 4 sons, each with different father (Chris eldest).

Biological father disappeared before he was born.

4th husband Jack Langan (Chris’ stepfather) beat-up the boys.

When Chris was 14, he started working out & beat-up Jack, who then left the family.

Chris, brothers, & mother struggled due to lack of money.

Was unsuccessful in University

Went to Reed College on a scholarship but did not fit in

Lost scholarship because mother neglected to renew it, so left he Reed

Enrolled in Montana State University but had trouble getting to morning classes due to car & distance problems

Reed & Montana did not help or support Chris so he dropped out of higher-education system.

Lost opportunity to become a brilliant academic/professor.

Floundered after dropping out of University

Worked in construction, factory jobs, minor civil service jobs

Long term job as bouncer in bar in Long Island, NY

Continued to read philosophy, math, physics on his own

Wrote an academic paper “Cognitive Theoretic Model of Universe” but without a degree, editors discount it.

“It is a heartbreaking story…a man with an insatiable appetite for learning, forced for most of his adult life to live in intellectual isolation.” p. 95-96

Comparison of Chris’ story with that of Robert Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer was the physicist who helped America develop the nuclear bomb.

A genius, but struggled with depression & tried to poison his university tutor.

Instead of being expelled for his crime, he was able talk his way into being to be put on probation (& stay in university).

Later, he used his social charm to land the job to build the bomb for the Americans.

“he possessed the kind of savvy that allowed him to get what he wanted from the world.” p. 100

Both Oppenheimer & Chris Langan had high IQ but Chris lacked “practical intelligence” p. 101

Chris offended his calculus professor so the prof didn’t recognize his genius.

Oppenheimer knew how to talk to people. He had practical intelligence…

“It’s practical in nature…It’s knowledge that helps you read situations correctly and get what you want.” p. 101

Where does practical intelligence come from?

Not genetic (like IQ)

A set of skills that are learned

Learned in wealthier families rather than in poor families

Wealthier (middle-class) parents are more involved in their children’s lives.

They talk & reason with their children.

They develop their child’s talents & skills, teach them to express their opinions, interact with others, & ask for what they want.

Poorer children are more quiet & submissive, more distant

“This is the advantage that Oppenheimer had and that Chris Langan lacked.” p. 108

“Oppenheimer was raised in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, the son of an artist and a successful garment manufacturer.” p. 108

He learned from his father – who made his way up in the business world – how to talk to people in authority.

“Chris Langan, by contrast, had…a home dominated by an angry, drunken stepfather.” p. 110

He learned to distrust authority.

“He didn’t learn entitlement. He learned constraint.” p. 110

“If Christopher had been born into a wealthy family, if he was the son of a doctor who was well connected in some major market, I guarantee you he would have been one of those guys you read about, knocking back PhDs at seventeen,” he brother Jeff says. P. 110

Questions

What kind of family did you grow up in? (Poor, middle-class, wealthy)

What advantages did you have from growing up in a wealthier family? (If you came from a poor family, how can you overcome the disadvantages?)

What practical & people skills did you learn from your parents?