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Why does Langan, who has a very high IQ, always go against the academic world?
Christopher Michael Langan, an American horse ranch farmer and former bar bouncer, is famous for his IQ of 194 and is included in the high-IQ society. Although Langan's intellectual level is quite outstanding, he has kept a distance from traditional academia and has not achieved as eye-catching academic achievements as other high-IQ people. This phenomenon has aroused the curiosity of many people. What is the reason why Langan cannot gain a foothold in academia despite his IQ?
In his self-published paper, Langan proposed a theory called the Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU) in an attempt to explain the connection between the mind and reality.
After going through many stages in education, Langan began independent study in high school because he felt that traditional instructional materials were not meeting his needs. His passion for mathematics, physics and philosophy led him to self-study and achieve amazing SAT scores, but due to his failure to cope with the new environment, he finally chose to quit school.
Compared to J. Robert Oppenheimer, Langan lacked the same social resources and interpersonal skills. This is made clear in Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers: A Success Story, which states that Langan's lack of guidance and support contributed to his failure in academia.
Gladwell pointed out that Oppenheimer's affluent social environment gave him advantageous social skills, which was something Langan was never able to master.
As time went on, Langan did not choose to take root in academia. Instead, he focused on creating his own non-profit organization, the Mega Foundation, a program for people with IQs above 164. community and want to connect with like-minded people. However, these activities often strayed from the boundaries of mainstream science, making him seem at first glance to be out of place in academia.
In addition, Langan's many social and political views have made him a controversial figure. His support for eugenics and his opposition to interracial relationships gave him a rather specific following in certain social circles, such as those on the far right. His personal opinions further divisive his image, creating distance between him and the scientific community, as many views are considered extreme in contemporary society.
Langan himself stated in an interview that he has a firm stance on the future of "genetic health" for mankind, which conflicts with traditional academic theories.
With the changes in society and the development of science and technology, Langan's opinions, although provocative, lacked scientific basis, which further prevented him from winning recognition in the academic community. His CTMU theory has been questioned. Many people in the scientific community pointed out that it lacks a verifiable empirical basis, making it impossible for him to integrate into traditional academic discussions.
As more and more scholars focus on empirical science, Langan runs counter to this disapproval of academic views, making his explorations in the intellectual world characterized by isolation. For him, many academic word games seem to be less important than constructing a brand new theoretical system.
This "go my own way" attitude made Langan's path of exploration in academia full of uncertainty.
In summary, although Langan has a super high IQ, due to his life experience, social environment, and highly controversial personal views, he is unable to establish connections with traditional academia. While he was exploring his own theory, he was constantly being isolated from mainstream science. What does this reflect, besides intelligence, what other factors determine whether a person can succeed in academia?
