the unintelligent are always sure, the wise is always doubting...
In fact I am sure that most of you have, at one point or another, heard that most people think they are smarter than average. Of course that isnt possible, due to the very nature of what an average is.
Actually it is possible that more then a half are above average (oder under.)
You are confusing average and median (as many, even very smart people do).
Example: You have 10 people. One owns 10 million dollars. 9 own nothing.
On average everyone is a millionaire. The median (or middle income, you may have heard that) is zero.
In Germany 3 years ago the average income was quite exactly 30K while the median was (equally exactly) 20K.
Today it's a bit higher with less round numbers :D
90% of car drivers think they drive better than average. Looking at that difference it could explain why every tenth driver seems to be a complete idiot that should never have gotten a driver's license.
As was stated in the article, intelligence (as measured by IQ) is normally distributed, thus the average is the median. IE the distribution profile fits a gaussian shape, where the average intelligence of 100, is also the median intelligence of the population.
I perhaps wrote the piece confusingly, but I am not confused ;)
afaik its not a perfect gaussian with 100 in the center.
Anyway, the difference is quite small, so the average is indeed roughly the median for intelligence.
What natural phenomenon is perfectly anything? :)
Anything with a gaussian curve ;)
I meant the highest point is somethink like at 98 points and not totally mirrored sides.
Normally in a gaussian curve the definition is that the highest point is in the center and both sides are the same ;)
Intelligence is commonly described as following a normal distribution. I think you are being nitpicky for the sake of nitpicky.
You free to think what you want ;)
It is a fact that the IQ is constructed. It is not random based.
And yes, I may be nitpicking. I love philosophy after all ;)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_decay
Of course you are free to pick one of many other phenomenons.
Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay or radioactivity) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy (in terms of mass in its rest frame) by emitting radiation, such as an alpha particle, beta particle with neutrino or only a neutrino in the case of electron capture, gamma ray, or electron in the case of internal conversion. A material containing such unstable nuclei is considered radioactive. Certain highly excited short-lived nuclear states can decay through neutron emission, or more rarely, proton emission.
Radioactive decay is a stochastic (i.e.