Isaac Asimov on Why High-IQ Societies Like Mensa Were Useless to Him
A Citation to Asimov
In a personal reflection, the author revisits a passage from Asimov's memoir where he explains why he avoided Mensa and similar high-IQ groups: he found their members often irrational and elitist, with many embracing right-wing views. The post also recalls Asimov's friendship with William Tenn and his debate with Elie Wiesel, highlighting his rejection of racial and religious nationalism. The author mourns Asimov and the America that produced him.
I became uncomfortably aware that Mensans, however high their paper IQ might be, were likely to be as irrational as anyone else. Many of them believed themselves to be part of a 'superior' group that ought to rule the world, and despised non-Mensans as inferiors.