Jacob Barnett - Inspiring 14 Year Old

Pages: 123
"Otherwise, the carbon would have to be coming out of the stars and hence the Earth, made mostly of carbon, we wouldn't be here. So I calculated, the time it would take to create 2 percent of the carbon in the universe, it would actually have to be several micro-seconds. Or a couple of nano-seconds, or something like that. An extremely small period of time. Like faster than a snap. That isn't gonna happen."

"Because of that," he continued, "that means that the world would have never been created because none of the carbon would have been given 7 billion years to fuse together. We'd have to be 21 billion years old . . . and that would just screw everything up."


this is the type of thing that makes me wonder if no other scientist has ever thought of this. but ive never really studied the subject so i wouldnt know. i guess it just seems to simple to have never been thought of before

EDIT: apparently alot of people how been saying there are flaws in the theory, so he sorta lost that race
Last edited on
Veltas wrote:
I personally don't expect intelligent people to be mature. I'm around a lot of intelligent people and the more intelligent the more cocky, and the more immature.


My experience is just the opposite.

I've found that truly intelligent and informed people tend to be more humbled due to being more aware of their ignorance.

One of my favorite quotes:
Bubbles from Power Puff Girls wrote:
Education is the progressive realization of our ignorance
Bubbles from the Power Puff Girls?
I know who the character is, I'm questioning her being the source of that quote.
http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question26594.html
there you go

shes not the original source
Disch you're around a far humbler crowd than me, the few intelligent people I know like you described seem to fall into the unfortunate category of only a handful of people.

Not that I require piles of people like this, I'm honoured to be around the few that are like this.
I suppose it's partly down to how you rate intelligence, though. I'm thinking of more of a technical intelligence, but if I changed the definition slightly I could take it to include maturity etc. as well.
I class myself as a genius based on the Socratic notion of "the only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing".

Take that, Barnett.
iHutch105 wrote:
Take that, Barnett.

Who's Barnett?
Last edited on
Veltas wrote:
Who's Barnett?

The inspiring 14-year old in question.

I'd have to disagree, though. I could call him many things but "inspiring" isn't really one of them.
@Paoletti301
I know that it's an Einstein quote, I mean I'm asking why Disch quoted Bubbles from the Power Puff Girls.
Disch would reply but having exactly 9999 posts is too cool to pass up...
@iHutch105, just curious to hear your opinion as to why you wouldn't call him "inspiring".
closed account (Dy7SLyTq)
i agree. he didnt inspire me. he hasnt really done anything to inspire me imo
@Czar05 I just think "inspiring" is the wrong word.

The story doesn't inspire me to do or think anything, nor do his talents. Whilst impressive, nothing about it inspires me.
I thought his TED talk was inspiring. In fact it inspired me to start a whole new programming project.

I guess I was more reminded of some of the creative ideas I had floating around in my head that I had developed while I was not "learning" in the context he used it, but rather "thinking".

For the past few years I've been on a learning marathon. I figure now is a good time to spend a few days just thinking and developing my own ideas.
@iHutch105 and @htirwin, hmm, I found both of your comments to be insightful. Thanks for sharing.
Does anyone else find a problem with overpraising "child prodigies?" I feel like it can only be counterproductive. I mean, you're definitely intelligent. You've got more going on in your head than I probably ever will in my life. But you're still a kid. I'll give credit where credit is due, and when you've actually accomplished something (publications, research, contributions to society, etc), then I have no problem with praise.

I can only see this ending with that kid turning out as a complete jackass ten years from now; feeling that he is somehow superior in every way to the rest of mankind.
My question is whether pushing him in this line of education so much will stunt any social developments he makes. I mean, IQ is one thing, but trading IQ for EQ is foolish. It doesn't matter what theories he works towards if he lacks even a single social skill whatsoever. I know that he's autistic, but he still needs to get help in that case. Being forced to attend schooling with people decades older tends to... not help in that regard.
Pages: 123