Loss of Human Intellectual Potential
The Effect of Poverty, Poor Sanitation, Unclean
Water, and Hunger on the World
by
Rob Corra, CEO
GISS Technologies
While all lives matter, we have trouble empathizing with others on a global scale. We have trouble seeing the importance of poverty half a world away. However, it has a very real affect on all humanity. In this article, I will discuss the loss of human potential, specifically intellectual potential. There is plenty of literature available on the more tangible financial cost of poverty(1), but the intellectual loss is much harder to quantify.
It is much easier to measure the loss of an eight, or twelve hour work day than the possible intellectual achievements of a potentially intelligent person. In addition to being difficult to measure intelligence, it is even more difficult to determine whether a person would use that intelligence in a productive manner. A person's intelligence is not completely captured using IQ (Intelligence Quotient) scores, but this does give us some standard. Famous scientists, mathematicians, inventors, philosophers, artists, and the like have all enriched humanity and are heralded for their genius. Yet, many achievements of humanity have been accomplished by people with “lower” IQs, meaning “only” in the superior range (120-129). Thus in this article we will examine the number of people in the world who have potential IQs of 120+, but because of poverty and their life conditions they do not get a chance to develop and use their intelligence.
Poverty
Poverty has many definitions. A relatively standard definition places the poverty level at earning under US $2 per day, and extreme poverty as earning under US $1.25 a day. The newer MPI system is more complete, but it is also more complex, taking into account more factors. However, I will stick to the older system here, which is more widely used and gives smaller numbers for those in poverty. Even using the smaller numbers we will see the incredible level of lost human potential.
So what are the numbers of those living in poverty? The World Bank places the number of people living in extreme poverty. less than US $1.25 per day, at 1.2 billion people. Furthermore, another billion live on less than US $2 a day, for a total of 2.2 billion people living in poverty. This is “... only a slight decline from 2.59 billion in 1981."(2)
The newer poverty index, the MPI(3), which measures several things under three broader headings of Health, Education, and Living Conditions, places the number of people living in extreme poverty (under US $1.25 per day in the HPI system - used by the World Bank) at 1.6 billion people instead of 1.2 billion.
Logic dictates that living in poverty affects one's development. We do not need scientific studies to understand that if a person is worried about their safety, health, and finding their next meal, then they cannot focus on learning and developing. Even though studies are not needed, there have indeed been studies that come to this exact conclusion.(4)
IQ (Intelligence Quotient)
IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, is a measure of a person's intellectual capabilities. While the IQ system is not perfect, it is useful. It must be remembered that a high IQ does not mean that a person will do something useful, or at all, with their intellect. On the other hand, you will not find someone with a 90 IQ completing the unification theory or developing advancements in quantum physics, medicine, etc. So when we talk about the number of people of a certain IQ or above statistically, we are talking about potential and, in our case, it is a loss of potential.
When you look at the level of poverty, the effect of poverty on intelligence, and the statistical numbers we see a huge waste of human intellectual potential! Some quick calculations show the actual level of loss to humanity.(5)
Before getting to the actual loss of intellectual potential, it is good to understand what the various IQ scores represent. Below are two charts to help visualize the meaning of the scores.
Table 1 - Wechsler IQ Classifications(6)
IQ Score Classification
90-109 Average
110-119 High Average
120-129 Superior
130+ Very Superior
Table 2 - Further Extrapolated Classification(7)
IQ Score Classification
130+ Qualifying Score for Mensa*
130-144 Gifted
145-159 Genius
160-175 Extra-Ordinary Genius
176+ Super Genius**
*Mensa is an organization for high IQ individuals. To be a member of Mensa an individual needs to score in the top 2%, or a 130 IQ.
** Super Genius is a term I gave to cover the last category (176+), and a nod to Looney Tunes.
IQ - Genetics vs. Environment
A brief word about the effects of both genetics and environment on IQ development. Obviously genetics plays a part in human potential, however environment plays a very significant role too. If a person is genetically disposed to have a high IQ, but is placed in an environment that is openly hostile to intellectual development then their intelligence will be stunted. A hostile environment could be poverty, a lack of educational opportunities, or even living in an environment of strong anti-intellectualism. This does not mean occasionally some people living in extreme conditions will not flourish, however most will not, and this equals loss of potential.
In order to achieve maximum intellectual potential people need to have the basic requirements met (food, water, sanitation, security, shelter, etc.) and an opportunity to learn (education). Therefore it is important and in our best interest to see that as many people as possible have their basic needs met, so that we can benefit from the increased human mental capacity.
It is worthy to note that if the intelligence level of humanity were to shift higher, the IQ rarity would remain unchanged, since the IQ Scores would be readjusted to account for the new higher norm. That means the average IQ remains 90-110. Also, the statistical bell curve should remain in place regardless of the improvement of the “norm”, thus keeping our statistical numbers valid.
People with High IQs
People with a 120 IQ and above represent about 9.12% of the entire population. While a minority of society, most of the mover and shakers of humanity fall into this category. These people tend to do things, invent things, and discover things. The higher the IQ, the more potential the individual possesses.
Below is a list of some famous people and their IQs to give the reader an idea of the type of people we are talking about.
Table 3 - Famous IQs(8)
IQ Score Person
119 John F. Kennedy
122 Dwight Eisenhower
137 John Adams
145 Hans Christian Andersen
150 Abraham Lincoln, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
155 Rembrandt
156 Sigmund Freud
160 Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, Copernicus, Ben
Franklin
165 Charles Darwin, Beethoven, John Locke
170 Plato, Raphael
175 Johannes Kepler, John Quincy Adams
180 Michelangelo, David Hume
185 Galileo
190 Sir Isaac Newton, Garry Kasparov, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philip
Emeagwali
200 John Stuart Mill, Gottfried Leibniz
220 Leonardo Da Vinci
Intellectual Potential Lost - By the Numbers
Now that we know what poverty is, how many people are in it, and what various high IQ scores indicate we can look at the potential being wasted.
Table 4 - Human Potential Lost*
Potential
IQ Score Number Rarity Percentile Significance
120+ 200,000,000 1 in 11 90.88% Superior
130+ 50,000,000 1 in 44 97.72% Mensa Minimal Requirement
145+ 2,968,961 1 in 741 99.86% Genius
160+ 69,709 1 in 31,560 99.996% Extra-Ordinary Genius
176+ 447 1 in 4,931,877 99.99998% Super Genius
* Table 4 is based on the 2.2 billion people listed by the World Bank as living in poverty and on less than $2 a day. The numbers are rounded up to the nearest person since part of a person will have no potential.
So what does this all mean? Due to poor living conditions we do not have access to the potential of more than 200 million people with Superior Intelligence or better. 50 million people who would qualify for Mensa never have the opportunity to develop and use their potential. We lose the mental power of almost 3 million geniuses, almost 70 thousand of which would be as smart as Einstein or smarter! Finally 447 Super Geniuses never develop.
How many Keplers, Michelangelos, Galileos, Newtons, or even Da Vincis have we lost due to these sub-human conditions!
GISS Technologies - Our Goal
It is our goal at GISS Technologies to raise the living conditions of humanity to such a level that all humans have the opportunity to achieve their intellectual potential. Through our own work, and partnering with other organizations we want to to help bring an end to unnecessary suffering, and unlock the full potential of humanity!
Anyone interested in supporting or partnering with us is invited to contact us.
Works Cited:
(1) I will explore the financial cost of poverty on the world in a separate article.
(2) https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview - The page information was last updated in April 2015.
(4) For example: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/poverty-disturbs-children-s-brain-development-and-academic-performance/
(5) While IQs and the rarity chart does not work quite like I explain, it works close enough for our numbers. I assume the Wechsler Scale for my calculations. The “IQ Percentile and Rarity Chart can be found here https://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/iqtable.aspx. The Wechsler Scale was chosen because it is the one I am most familiar with and the one Mensa uses.
(6) https://www.assessmentpsychology.com/iqclassifications.htm
(7) While table two is taken from various places, the main two sources are listed here. Also, for ease of demonstrating exactly when we are losing in potential, I broke down the levels as much as possible. Sources for tables: https://www.i3mindware.com/mensa-requirements; https://www.easycalculation.com/medical/iq-score-table.php
(8) I listed some famous IQs to give an idea of what these levels mean. It should be noted the IQ of many people on the lists are estimates from evaluations of their works. The list is geared towards Western societies, not because they are smarter, but because this is my current target audience and because the IQ Score and Wechsler Scale are used primarily in the West. The 3 sources for famous people's IQ are: https://www.listal.com/list/famous-iq; https://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/cox300.aspx; https://www.kids-iq-tests.com/famous4.html