I do NOT question Cecil’s intelligence level. If he is indeed, the world’s smartest human, wonderful! All I am saying is that it appears somewhat that Cecil spends more time showing us what he is learning, instead of what he already knows. Granted, topics should be researched and investigated. I have no problem with that.
I guess what I am really driving at is this: If Cecil were put in an empty room, seated at an empty desk, with NO resources of information other than himself, how many random questions could he accurately answer? (i.e. Q’s that he hasn’t already answered)
This is not in any way, shape, or form, intended to condescend Unca Cece! It’s just a simple curiosity and nothing more. Cecil’s “da” man!
If Cecil answers a question in a forest, and there’s no one there to hear him, is he still correct?
Given that the answers to most questions can be deduced by drawing logical conclusions from information already possessed by the question-ee (simple example: John is bald. I know that most bald men have huge penises. Therefore, John most likely has a huge penis.), I think Cecil would fend pretty damn well for himself in a bare room.
Shit, is Cecil bald? I swear I’m not sucking up. On my mother’s good name, I swear it!
MSK… I am sorry to see you go… It was nice knowing you. People who ask such questions have a way of just “disappearing” from the message board. Somebody should have warned you about the dangers… you were a great addition… You wont be missed… only because those that greive… leave! the same way ::But I didnt say anything::
The way I see it, he does not need to know everything, only more than everyone else to be the “world’s smartest human.” Having done research to write articles myself, I know that when you thoroughly research a topic, you end up with way more knowledge than can be squeeeeeeeeezed into an article on the subject researched.
Logic would dictate that because of that Cecil’s already obtained more knowledge on the aforementioned subject upon which he is consolidating and distributing information…AND therefore, after all that research is done he knows even more stuff than he did before…so he continues to learn way more than his readers and if he already knows a lot, more has to be…well…more. Besides, he knows where to look for the answers to the questions he doesn’t already know the answers to–which is certainly smart (and half the battle).
So, if someone’s already the world’s smartest human, to what does he aspire?
[Of course, since I’m NOT the world’s smartest human, I could be wrong about all of this… :)]
Umm, you are saying that ‘smartest’ implies ‘most knowledgeable’. This is not the case [as you can see from that Milllionaire program], ‘smartest’ implies here, not knowledge, but intelligence. Intelligence as in ‘I know how to find the answers when I don’t have the answer.’
I believe it was Einstein that said (and I’m paraphrasing), “It’s not knowing everything that important. It’s knowing where to find everything that is.”
I think that Cecil COULD answer any question from his already great store of knowlege. However, in the most efficient manner, he is showing all us teeming millions how we can find some of our own answers, by ourselves. After all, even uncle cece is only one man, (not discounting the help of little ed and the science advisory staff), there’s only so many questions he can answer in one column per week. Beyond that, it’s going to be up to us. Yes, I’m definately sucking up.
MSK - a good and valid question. (Oooops, does that mean I’m gone too? Well shit, I will definately not be missed). I have read many columns from Cecil, and based on the depth of some of the reaserch I have to say he is quite bright - you gotta be pretty smart to look for all the angles that he does. Stored Knowledge? Hmm, who knows, maybe he has more than anyone else, maybe not (hey, I’m already gone, OK?) I will go with Cecil until proven otherwise. Although there is a very bright dude on the radio (also described as the Worlds Smartest Man) named Bill Wattenberg (sp?), sounds like these two guys should have a face off. Would be really entertaining.
I like Cecil for the nice bits of humor he adds to his stuff, it’s good to be TWSH and funny at the same time.
Cecil Adams is the smartest human being without question.
a) smart can mean pert or saucy. Cecil Adams in his columns is always delightfully saucy. I imagine that in his youth he often portrayed french maids in college theatre productions of Oscar Wilde plays.
b) smart can also mean “neat, trim; stylish or elegant in dress or appearance; sophisticated; characteristic of or patronized by fashionable society”.
Let me take those one by one.
neat, trim: You can bet that he always wipes his chin and uses a toothpick after lunch.
stylish or elegant in dress or appearance: Cecil Adams must certainly be wearing the latest fashions. What else would he be doing with the millions in income derived from his column? Notice also that Slug Signorino always portrays him as wearing a mortarboard, showing that Cecil is always at the forefront of new fashion trends.
sophisticated: One need only read his column on hot dog toppings to know that a social faux pas is something with which he is totally unfamiliar.
characteristic of or patronized by fashionable society: if you’re here at the SDMB, then you know that no further justification is needed for this characterization.
In conclusion: smartest on many counts.
You wont be missed… only because those that greive… leave! the same way ::But I didnt say anything::