# Cecil **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305 "2009-11-20T18:01:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daddypleo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f475e1/32.png) [@Daddypleo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daddypleo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/1 "2009-11-20T18:01:12Z")
Is Cecil Adams a savant? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/2 "2009-11-20T18:03:18Z")
Why would you think that? ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/3 "2009-11-20T18:14:21Z")
> [@Daddypleo](#): > > Is Cecil Adams a savant? šŸ˜• No, he does the research. A Savant would just know. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/4 "2009-11-20T20:23:05Z")
Definitions of savant: > [@](#): > > initiate: someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field > wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn > > Savant (from the French savant ā€œknowingā€, English since the 18th century) may refer to: \* An expert or wise person \* Savant syndrome \* Marilyn vos ā€¦ > [Savant syndrome - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant) > > A person of learning; one who is versed in literature or science; A person eminent for acquirements > [Savant - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Savant) Ed Zotti, the current writer of Cecilā€™s column, may or may not be a savant under those definitions. Probably not. Are you thinking of (now pejorative) idiot savant? > [@](#): > > person who is mentally retarded in general but who displays remarkable aptitude in some limited field (usually involving memory) > wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn > > Savant syndrome, sometimes abbreviated as savantism, is not a recognized medical diagnosis, but researcher Darold Treffert defines it as a rare ā€¦ > [Savant syndrome - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot_savant) > > A mentally challenged person who is very gifted in one area of activity, e.g. the piano. This condition is associated with autism > [idiot-savant - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/idiot-savant) > > A person who exhibits an extraordinary ability in one subject (often mathematics) whilst being mentally retarded in all other fields > [idiot savant - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/idiot_savant) Heā€™s not that either. Heā€™s merely a reporter who selects subjects to research. You make yourself look much smarter by carefully choosing which questions you try to answer and which you ignore. Iā€™ve practiced that here for many years. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/5 "2009-11-20T20:40:59Z")
> [@pan1](#): > > No, he does the research. > > A Savant would just know. But even a savant needs to get his information somewhere. ā€œJust knowingā€ isnā€™t ā€œknowing.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/6 "2009-11-23T06:29:05Z")
He probably just took the same class I took in college, one of the most useful, a 1/4 credit class in how to use the library. He is a good researcher, nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/7 "2009-11-23T13:43:53Z")
Some things, Cecil directs his research staff. Most things, Cecil just knows. However, the READER editors (Ed and others) have to get the research done to back him up and be sure that every detail is correct. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/8 "2009-11-23T19:35:02Z")
Cecil may or may not even be a real personā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/9 "2009-11-23T20:40:30Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Cecil may or may not even be a real personā€¦ Huh? You think a robot spews out the column? Maybe you mean that ā€œCecil Adamsā€ is not the name on the driverā€™s license of the person who writes the column. If thatā€™s what you mean, I have some bad news for you, sunshine. Hardly anybody on the SDMB is a ā€œreal person,ā€ and, um, you might want to check your own I.D. ā€œYogSosoth,ā€ cuz Iā€™m guessing you donā€™t meet your own standard, either. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/10 "2009-11-23T21:03:42Z")
oh come on peopleā€¦ heā€™s a columnist. heā€™s no more a savant than any of us. Ken Jennings is more likely a savant. Even Marilyn Vos Savant has a better case. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/11 "2009-11-23T21:43:43Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > Huh? You think a robot spews out the column? > > Maybe you mean that ā€œCecil Adamsā€ is not the name on the driverā€™s license of the person who writes the column. If thatā€™s what you mean, I have some bad news for you, sunshine. Hardly anybody on the SDMB is a ā€œreal person,ā€ and, um, you might want to check your own I.D. ā€œYogSosoth,ā€ cuz Iā€™m guessing you donā€™t meet your own standard, either. All I know is when I asked on this board a few months ago whether or not Cecil was a real person, I got a bunch of answers and a lot of arguments. I came away from that question more confused than ever. Somebody writes this column, but whether or not that somebody is a real person named Cecil Adams, a pseudonym, or refers to a fictional character staffed by many writers over the years is unclear to me. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/12 "2009-11-23T21:49:27Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Ed Zotti, the **current** writer of Cecilā€™s column, may or may not be a savant under those definitions. So, who were some of the _past_ writers? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/13 "2009-11-23T21:53:32Z")
YogSosoth, It is not confusing. The columns are written by Ed Zotti and have been for years. He has help from people but few columnists of any stature donā€™t have some help from assistants. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/14 "2009-11-23T23:04:09Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > He probably just took the same class I took in college, one of the most useful, a 1/4 credit class in how to use the library. He is a good researcher, **nothing more**. Ok. Gotta weigh in. Nothin more? Cecil has been and continues to be a very fine writer. Heā€™s witty, stylish, and cogent. He has the ability to take a topic ā€“ sometimes quite arcane and difficult - and reduce it to essentials, all the while maintaining an entertainingly cocky and supercillious attitude that both respects and tweaks the questioner. You try doing that. Itā€™s not as easy as it looks. ā€œnothing more.ā€ Pulleeaze. ---
**Author:** ![Dobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/15 "2009-11-23T23:18:12Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > But even a savant needs to get his information somewhere. ā€œJust knowingā€ isnā€™t ā€œknowing.ā€ At [http://www.straightdope.com/pages/faq/cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/pages/faq/cecil) , it says - [QUOTE=The FAQ] Who is Cecil Adams? Cecil Adams is the worldā€™s most intelligent human being. We know this because: (1) he knows everything, and (2) he is never wrong. [/QUOTE] and > [@](#): > > How does Cecil do his thing? > From what we have been able to piece together, Cecil works in fits and starts. First he rummages through the mail looking for mash notes from groupiesā€¦ > > Then he looks for enough interesting questions to fill a column. He ruminates for a while. He cleans the oven. Finally he calls over his editor and dictates. This part takes twenty minutes. Then the editor has to check the facts. It sounds to me like he just knows. Unless the FAQ is wrong, of course. But thatā€™s just crazy talk. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/16 "2009-11-24T01:38:39Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > So, who were some of the _past_ writers? Pre-Ed, Cecil was Mike Lenehan and then Dave Kehr. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/17 "2009-11-24T03:13:32Z")
If the person we call Cecil Adams isnā€™t really Cecil Adams, but a mere employee paid to write this column, who then is the owner of this column who employed this person? My hunch is that this position is something like the position of Dalai Lama. It is held by the reincarnation of the eternal entity we refer to as Cecil Adams. This entity gives the person who currently holds the post of the Mighty Cecil the immeasurable knowledge they need to write such worldly columns and grant us mere mortals these nuggets of his infinite wisdom. And, it is this spiritual all knowing entity that collects the bulk of the royalties that this column generates. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/18 "2009-11-24T04:37:55Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Pre-Ed, Cecil was Mike Lenehan and then Dave Kehr. Huh. So when it says theyā€™ve been ā€œFighting Ignorance since 1973,ā€ does that date represent Ed Zottiā€™s beginning? And and did those others go by ā€œCecil,ā€ too? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/19 "2009-11-24T06:49:29Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Ken Jennings is more likely a savant. No, Ken Jennings is fast on the buzzer. Other contestants knew as many answers as he did, but he was consistently the first to buzz in. And that was due to hours and hours of practice. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305/20 "2009-11-24T11:37:11Z")
No, Cecil is not a savant. Cecil is _the_ savant. The rest of us have to strive for knowledge and wisdom. But knowledge and wisdom strive for Cecil. Knowledge is to Cecil as the scent is to the rose. It is just part of his being, his essence, his experienceā€¦ one cannot separate the two. Nothing can cut Cecil but if you could cut him, out would come knowledge in its purest form. We cannot comprehend Cecil, but we can understand that we cannot comprehend him. Cecil is both the product and the fruit of knowledge, but also the source. It is a mystery. Our small minds cannot accommodate the mystery, but we can contemplate it and achieve a state of rapture, through which comes enlightenment. If you meet the Cecil on the road, kill him. We may know of Cecil, but we cannot directly know Cecil. We may bathe in the light, even though our minds cannot directly know the source of the light just as our eyes cannot look directly at the sun. Think on these mysteries and these lessons, and in the quiet of contemplation and reverie, amidst the quiet garden of the soul, you will see the Cecil. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil/518305.md?page=2)