I have discovered repeatedly that I am not typical. I don't look typical, I don't think typically, I don't act typically.
I am not a typical size, I don't have a typical job history, I don't spend my time typically. I don't read typical books. I don't have typical tastes and preferences.
Given all that, I can't even count on being a atypical. Sometimes I find that something popular is terrific and I like it very much.
I am reading "Man Overboard: A Medical Lifeline for the Aging Male" by Craig M. Bowron, MD. A reader might not feel that an author is trustworthy when coming to statements like "Doctors sometimes refer to the Nether regions of our bodies, named after Dr. Phil Nether, a British anatomist and explorer who discovered them on an expedition to the Central Groin region in 1833." But the comment I want to note here is that "aging is an extractive and reductive process and given its relentless and inevitable nature, it might be the hardest thing any of us will ever do."
I have noted before that Lynn's stepfather, a veteran of Patton's army in WWII, often snarled," Golden years - Hah!"
I would never have selected "extractive and reductive" to describe the process of aging but I find the two terms accurate and helpful.
When I write in my title, the word "intelligence", the connotation is probably the innate sense that humans have of "smarts". That sense has been recognized for a long time. In graduate school, I studied attempts to test intelligence with paper and pencil tests. I also studied attempts by Binet in France and faculty at Stanford University and Wechsler to create formal tests to measure intelligence. But in this post, I am thinking of "intelligence" in the way the word is used in reference to military and national security, the concept of general knowledge about the world and what is happening.
It seems completely accurate to say that humans in general, all over, have better intelligence than ever. The development of speech, writing, the telegraph, daily newspapers, radio, television and, of course, the internet, have all contributed to better communication between all sorts of humans in all locations.
At the same time, information has improved its spread and richness, education has been changing too. In grad school, I read about the slow, steady expansion of education. Of course, Google Search and similar search engine software such as Duckduckgo are providing a wider, deeper amount of information to all sorts of citizens, inquirers and students. But don't forget nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, technical schools, master's programs, doctoral programs, post-docs, distance education, YouTube videos, Kindle books, loaning apps like Libby.
I guess one of the best ways to see the limitations of one's knowledge is to get a PhD. The usual description of the path to a doctor of philosophy degree is to get a bachelor's degree at a four year college, get a master's degree in a year or two (sometimes more) and get the doctor's degree in 3 or more years.
Several people have described the final exam for a doctorate as an occasion of being quite aware of all the things one does not know. That final exam is often an oral one. One's advisor invites professors from one's major and minor. I had two minors, philosophy and psychology. I don't actually remember what philosophy and psychology professors attended my orals. I do remember the realization that those men could ask me ANYTHING !
The usual format is an hour or so of committee questions, then a short discussion while the candidate is not in the room. If the answer is "yes, he qualifies", the person fetching the candidate from where he is waiting, often signals the candidate's success by greeting him with an extended hand and the words, "Congratulations, Dr. _____________" Of course, there is no guarantee that the candidate will be able to answer all the questions. There may be disagreements generally as to the correct answers.
Some of this photos may be of interest.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/19/world/gallery/photos-this-week-april-11-april-18/
Bill
Of the books listed below, the one that seems to have been the most helpful for Lynn and me is Lisa Genova's "Remember". It is about the human memory and it really helps quiet worries about poor memory and a deteriorating mind.
I enjoyed what I read of "Eve: How the female body drove 200 million years of evolution" by Cat Bohannon.
You may get intellectual payoffs from "This Explains Everything", a John Brockman book. Brockman runs the website "Edge". That's not the Microsoft browser also called Edge. He tries to foster deep thinking and exploration of all kinds of intellectual exploration.
"You can't make this stuff up" by Laura Katz. There are quite a few books about not being able to make up stuff. This book is a summary of decades of work as a woman gynecologist and her cases.
I would not have thought I would enjoy "Eighty Days" by Matthew Goodman as much as I did. It is about two New York City newspapers sponsoring two women who compete to see who wins in a trip around the world. This true contest took place in 1889, when the world and human ideas were not what they are today.
"Brief Answers to the Big Questions" by Stephen Hawking, the very famous British cosmologist, told he had developed Lou Geherig's disease, related to Parkinson's nerve disease. He was told at age 20 that he would live five more years. He died recently at age 76. He said that he had spent his life traveling through the universe, amid black holes, he is a clear, helpful, upbeat writer.
Children's books have been in the news lately. Reading and being read to were among the best experiences of my childhood. Whether you once read you once read "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White or not, it is time to read it again, maybe with a grandchild beside you. School and children's librarians can help find the oldest greatest and the most recent greatest of kids' books. Don't kid yourself: you are still pretty much a kid.
Two more: Any of Dan Buettner's books. Try "The Blue Zones American Kitchen" but any of his will be helpful. He is an explorer of places in the world that have consistently harbored groups of people who live longer, healthier lives than average, places he calls "Blue Zones". More recognition is focusing on physical hydration as a major factor in good living at older age. On that subject, try "Quench" by Cohen, MD and Bria. Our bodies bug us less about thirst but it is very important to health to get the right amounts of water.