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The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life. — Naval Ravikant
There is a science to intelligence.
But most people get it wrong. They think intelligence is about book smarts and cognitive tasks. Those play a role in your success, of course, but there is much more to the story.
People who score well on IQ tests usually land in the “conventional” stages of psychological development. Little do they realize (because lower stages can’t understand higher stages) that they are still in the bottom 60% of true intelligence, not book smarts.
Even more, many “smart” people are lonely, broke, unhealthy, and angry at the world. They can think through complex problems but they can’t solve the bigger, more holistic problem of living a rich life.
Chris Langan, the man with the highest IQ, says, “Most high-IQ people have the magnification, but not the aperture.” In other words, and as we will learn, IQ is not the be-all and end-all of intelligence. If your mind is a camera, there’s more than just the ability to zoom in.
Now, if you want to have Jordan Peterson’s articulation or Alan Watts’s thinking, give yourself one year of practice.
1 year.
1 hour a day of study based on what you will learn in this letter.
That isn’t much to ask to develop the one trait that determines nearly all of the success in your life.
The ability to navigate your mental health.
The ability to make as much money as you want.
The ability to understand reality and get what you want out of it.
That’s what we’re going to learn.
Where do we start?
Cybernetics — The Art Of Getting What You Want
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result — Einstein
Cybernetics comes from the greek word kybernetikos which means “to steer” or “good at steering.”
It’s also known as “the art of getting what you want.”
So, if Naval’s definition of intelligence is getting what you want out of life, understanding cybernetics helps you do that much, much faster.
