ABSTRACT
Many members of Mensa, the high Intelligence quotient (IQ) society, have made little or no real contribution to society. The social implications of IQ testing arouse strong feelings—usually based on ignorance of what has been said, what the facts are, and what their social implications might be. Two areas of virulent debate, centering on the issue of intelligence, have been concerned with equality and with eugenics. Intelligence is fairly easy; few people would regard stupidity as preferable to high intelligence. Intelligence is important, but it is not all important. Even in the cognitive realm special abilities— verbal, numerical, perceptual speed, visuo-spatial ability, memory, and creativity— play an important part, and general intelligence without special abilities is unlikely to lead to outstanding success. Highly intelligent people often seem to lack common sense to a quite unusual degree. Common sense is difficult to identify, and even more difficult to measure, but for everyday living it is surely of considerable importance.
