<p>those who are good at the humanities--history, writing?</p>
<p>For some reason, I am extremely puzzled by this. </p>
<p>There are so many people who are geniuses in history or writing, but suck at math..and vice versa. I think people who are creative geniuses are just as intelligent as those who are math/science geniuses. Does anyone else notice this discrepancy?</p>
<p>What are your thoughts?</p>
<p>I think they are considered smarter only in high school. I know that humanities-oriented people get much more recognition in college/professional fields.</p>
<p>Because people don’t think Shakespeare was a genius?</p>
<p>The reality is that math/science geniuses ARE creative geniuses. And if you’ve ever read a book by a mathematician you would recognize that they tend to be very good writers too.</p>
<p>The best math proofs are just as elegant as any piece of writing…</p>
<p>I think it’s because people find science and math more useful. So they focus more on it, and whoever is good at that area will be seen as really smart. Society doesn’t care much about creative intelligence. How many people have you met that said that they wanted to be a writer or painter when they grow up? I’m pretty good at math, but I secretly admire those who are really good at writing. It just amazes me that some people can think abstractly instead of “formulaically”.</p>
<p>@ThisCouldBeHeavn-- thank you! this is the response i was looking for.
maybe i just go to school with idiots,
but there was this huge lunch time debate in which a few good math/science students were claiming how I [whose specialty is in the humanities–reputation for “brilliant” writing, history scholar (i dont nec. agree with these titles, but yea…its what teachers say)] am some how less intelligent than the math gurus. </p>
<p>I have competing abilities in math but its not razor sharp. i just felt offended and puzzled.</p>
<p><em>forgive me for spelling/grammar mistakes–im typing at rapid speed</em></p>
<p>People are more open to genius in and have less understanding of higher orders of math and science than of literature.</p>
<p>I think.</p>
<p>@TheYankInLondon-- okay…but that does not make them more intelligent.</p>
<p>@Millancad-- good point but read milton etc and then come back and try to make the same argument. literature can get extremely complicated.</p>
<p>Because truthfully, there is a higher correlation between IQ and math aptitude. If you read a lot, you can learn content. Not everyone can master higher level conceptual math no matter how they try. But it is true the success and intelligence are not correlated. Look at all the idiot lawyers in Congress.</p>
<p>Because who honestly cares about symbolic thinking when you can have rational thinkers?</p>
<p>Because math and science look fancier. Anyone can understand words (at least individually, if not in highly complex strings).</p>
<p>Math isn’t subjective, so its much easier to judge. That’s why people hear a lot of math/science competitions but much less of humanities based ones. It’s easier to directly compete - making it more like a “sport.”</p>
<p>I have a similar situation with my friends, who are mostly math/science oriented people. I think the trouble is that high achievements in math/science fields are essentially incomprehensible to the general public, (Just take a look at the citations for recent Nobel Prize winners. Terms like “spontaneous broken symmetry” and “semiconductor heterostructures” are Greek to me.) while achievements in the humanities are at least, on some level, more accessible. It’s very easy to underestimate the work that goes in to writing a great novel. I’d even say that some of the best prose makes writing seem deceptively easy, which of course it is anything but.</p>
<p>Give your friends some Proust to read and have them get back to you.</p>
<p>@LastYearsMan – yes exactly. and i like Proust’s works</p>
<p>but maybe so…its just that I have run into so many math/science people who suck at high-level writing in general…they find it difficult. there are a few math/science people who can do both (i have read einstein’s papers attacking the society of his time and he has good command of the language) and i believe that those are the true geniuses.</p>
<p>I just get the feeling math/science people whine less about how hard a class is. -cough- you know the person I’m talking about.</p>
<p>Yeah, I find that they think “good writing” is abstruse and wordy, or at least many of them write that way. Most of them also have poor literary taste, if they even read at all.</p>
<p>I interview engineers daily. Good engineering students tend to do adequately well across all subject areas. I know lots of top liberal arts students who won’t attempt math beyond H.S. calculus.</p>
<p>@Merples-- who are you talking about? lol 
If you’re talking about me, I am not complaining about literature’s level of “difficulty” but I just hate how people outside the field dont take literature/history/philosophy seriously as a higher-level-intellect subject. </p>
<p>I must note–when I say literature/history/philosophy, its not just about reading! It is about making connections, predictions, and expanding on what is read. It takes an advanced mind to do so–not every math genius can.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>because we are</p>