Muscular IQ

I frequent a number of sites weekly, including Herculodge (mostly radio and wristwatch discussion, but some interesting asides as well from college professor Jeffrey McMahon), Rethinking Pocket Change (Christopher Jorristma on coin collecting), and succeedbycommunicating.com, maintained by a colleague of mine, Lanny Curtis.

I occasionally comment on Lanny's postings, but one of my most recent was more thought-out than usual. Lanny's article is here: "Communication by Any Other Name...".

My response:

I have heard some philosophers speak of "muscular IQ" in the same way one might refer to mental IQ; ie, that there is an intelligence in physical dexterity that deserves equal credit for excellence as the cognitive variety

A beautiful chair is a good example; an expression like that provides ongoing engagement in a different way than a book or poem or speech (not better, just different).

I wasn't too keen on the muscular intelligence idea when I first heard it, because it was offered in the context of elevating very good athletes to a status we usually reserve for very good scientists, doctors, or artists. (And IMHO athletic ability is already overrated and a distraction to studies that will serve kids better longer.)

But seen in this light, it has an appeal.

The mind and all the language we use to describe it continues to amaze me. There are more euphemisms for mental instability than any other human condition (sex is the 2nd most euphemized). When someone's mind is uniquely sharp, like an Einstein, they are nearly deified, and all sorts of idiosyncrasies are tolerated, even celebrated. But if they are uniquely fractured, no amount of ability in any other way will protect them from ridicule and ostracization.

 

Started: 2012-07-27