Read or listen now | Your Sunday morning thought piece. Unpacking the Midwit Mindset: How Above-Average Intelligence Can Hinder Decision-Making in Society
I think it was Michael Malice who introduced me to the term, and I now see it everywhere.
I’m embarrassed to post my IQ, but it’s comfortably above midwit territory. I run my own business, have no firm political allegiance and am increasingly persuaded by Libertarian ideas.
I’m a Brexit voting Brit of Polish descent with a European wife. Everything I thought about Covid has proved to be correct, including my decision not to get the jab.
Not sure where we’re headed now, I guess the best it will be is staggering down the middle of the road having shot ourselves in the foot with Net Zero, whilst the emerging economies of the world take over.
The "midwit" phenomenon you are referencing is part of a larger discussion about the non-playable character ("NPC") mind. The first question to ask is if the masses of “normal people” have any thoughts at all or simply verbally regurgitate whatever they hear, with no associated thoughts behind their statements. The concept is astonishing, but the latter is how most people actually live according to a 2007 University of Nevada Department of Psychology study on college students. Per the study, regarding the frequency of common phenomena of inner experience (inner speech, inner seeing (aka images), unsymbolized thinking, feeling, and sensory awareness), only between 22% to 34% of the individuals studied had frequent internal dialogues: http://hurlburt.faculty.unlv.edu/heavey-hurlburt-2008.pdf
'National destiny is determined by people whose first instinct is to find reasons why you can't do something, not why you can. There is too much focus on their own career risk.'
You are spot on with the Covid issue. It was the same issue that you brought up in Life after the State; Government policy and it’s implementation is measured, measured again, graphs galore and often manipulated to justify its existence. The effects of Government policy are never measured - if it was, the Midwits would realise the policy was rubbish in the first place. It’s just career protectionism.
Please step forward a slightly unhinged, massively intelligent maverick politician to shake things up. Unfortunately I think this person will look like a horse with a horn on its nose.
Excellent piece Dominic! I’d add to this the malign contribution to government midwittery made by various highly vocal minority groups to whom politicians have to pander so as to curry virtue signalling favour when it comes to vote capture. Where’s the incentive to make progress that’s in the ultimate best interests of the country?
Nice one, Dom. Take Carbon Zero - as Konstantin saud, " If this island sank beneath the waves it would make zero difference to the world's carbon emissions".
Great article. This will sound made up, but I did a Mensa IQ test and got 137. Shocked you've only just heard the term 'midwit', but perhaps my superior knowledge is explained by that extra IQ point?
Many decades ago, as a student, I worked my way through Hans Eysenck's Know your IQ book. I have forgotten the detail, but I remember that, as I proceeded, I achieved higher and higher scores. I didn't cheat in any way and didn't repeat any test. I ended up going off the top of the chart: From Vogon to Vulcan in a few easy steps.
What do I conclude? Any of the following:
1) Anyone can be tutored to excel at IQ tests.
2) Eysenck's test were deeply flawed.
3) I have an exceptional talent for mastering techniques.
I state, quite emphatically, that I am not a genius. My mistress concurs.
Carlo Cipolla's has a book explaining the definition of stupid. His definition of stupid is, if you cause harm to others without any benefit to yourself. These people can be in all walks of life. The sex, race age, career or IQ level doesn't make any difference and there's way more of them than you think. They're my idea of midwits, people who cause immense damage without any idea they're doing it or even any benefit to themselves.
Brilliant as always, Dominic. I came across the term “midwit” a couple years ago during the covid hysteria, and hope you don’t mind indulging my take on them at the time:
I think it was Michael Malice who introduced me to the term, and I now see it everywhere.
I’m embarrassed to post my IQ, but it’s comfortably above midwit territory. I run my own business, have no firm political allegiance and am increasingly persuaded by Libertarian ideas.
I’m a Brexit voting Brit of Polish descent with a European wife. Everything I thought about Covid has proved to be correct, including my decision not to get the jab.
Not sure where we’re headed now, I guess the best it will be is staggering down the middle of the road having shot ourselves in the foot with Net Zero, whilst the emerging economies of the world take over.
Sounds like you've been taking the wrong colour pills (same colour as me, although I'm not even sure what colour pill I've taken)
Good post, thank you. Here's one on COVID lockdowns (from back when it mattered): https://i.ibb.co/ftnFQgf/a1230.png
The "midwit" phenomenon you are referencing is part of a larger discussion about the non-playable character ("NPC") mind. The first question to ask is if the masses of “normal people” have any thoughts at all or simply verbally regurgitate whatever they hear, with no associated thoughts behind their statements. The concept is astonishing, but the latter is how most people actually live according to a 2007 University of Nevada Department of Psychology study on college students. Per the study, regarding the frequency of common phenomena of inner experience (inner speech, inner seeing (aka images), unsymbolized thinking, feeling, and sensory awareness), only between 22% to 34% of the individuals studied had frequent internal dialogues: http://hurlburt.faculty.unlv.edu/heavey-hurlburt-2008.pdf
Another big part of this is the homogenization of inner life in the era of mass media, which Zero HP Lovecraft discusses brilliantly here: https://twitter.com/0x49fa98/status/1051974092176293893
Which leads directly to this: https://i.ibb.co/4d0bFZL/a12338.png
This is the rabbit hole I was down the other night!
A great read as usual Dom.
'National destiny is determined by people whose first instinct is to find reasons why you can't do something, not why you can. There is too much focus on their own career risk.'
Sounds about right.
Thanks Jon
Midwittery also seems quite aligned with the Dunning–Kruger effect.
Almost certainly. (and me too!)
Midwit. Brilliant.
You are spot on with the Covid issue. It was the same issue that you brought up in Life after the State; Government policy and it’s implementation is measured, measured again, graphs galore and often manipulated to justify its existence. The effects of Government policy are never measured - if it was, the Midwits would realise the policy was rubbish in the first place. It’s just career protectionism.
Please step forward a slightly unhinged, massively intelligent maverick politician to shake things up. Unfortunately I think this person will look like a horse with a horn on its nose.
Thanks Matthew. Unfortunately such a politican would not last 5 minutes. The closest we had was Farage and he can't even win a seat.
Andrew Bridgen seems to be trying to fulfill that role, ... he has ruffled a few feathers already ..
https://twitter.com/abridgen/status/1648231121593724929?s=46&t=CzCxOF1V-v20l1FsSBksFA
Yes, I saw that
Excellent piece Dominic! I’d add to this the malign contribution to government midwittery made by various highly vocal minority groups to whom politicians have to pander so as to curry virtue signalling favour when it comes to vote capture. Where’s the incentive to make progress that’s in the ultimate best interests of the country?
Thanks Martin. Yes, the incentive structures are all wrong.
Nice one, Dom. Take Carbon Zero - as Konstantin saud, " If this island sank beneath the waves it would make zero difference to the world's carbon emissions".
Thanks Bill!
Great article. This will sound made up, but I did a Mensa IQ test and got 137. Shocked you've only just heard the term 'midwit', but perhaps my superior knowledge is explained by that extra IQ point?
Maybe that's why Twitter paired us.
By the way, knowledge and IQ are not the same. Surprised you don't know that with your massive IQ
Many decades ago, as a student, I worked my way through Hans Eysenck's Know your IQ book. I have forgotten the detail, but I remember that, as I proceeded, I achieved higher and higher scores. I didn't cheat in any way and didn't repeat any test. I ended up going off the top of the chart: From Vogon to Vulcan in a few easy steps.
What do I conclude? Any of the following:
1) Anyone can be tutored to excel at IQ tests.
2) Eysenck's test were deeply flawed.
3) I have an exceptional talent for mastering techniques.
I state, quite emphatically, that I am not a genius. My mistress concurs.
Very interesting. Thank you
Of course they're not the same, but I could potentially use that extra capacity to store more information.
I liked this article. But then again, I am clearly a midwit. So probably not the endorsement you were looking for.
I'll take whatever I can get.
Can you spread the word to your midwit mates, so they start regurgitating my stuff instead of the Economist?
Akshually a lot of my friends know someone who bought that book by Thomas Piketty. So they are already very well informed thank you very much.
I think you've nailed it with this article. Institutional Midwittery.
Thanks John.
Carlo Cipolla's has a book explaining the definition of stupid. His definition of stupid is, if you cause harm to others without any benefit to yourself. These people can be in all walks of life. The sex, race age, career or IQ level doesn't make any difference and there's way more of them than you think. They're my idea of midwits, people who cause immense damage without any idea they're doing it or even any benefit to themselves.
Thanks Catherine. Kind of agree with that
Brilliant as always, Dominic. I came across the term “midwit” a couple years ago during the covid hysteria, and hope you don’t mind indulging my take on them at the time:
https://jdbreen.substack.com/p/the-complicit-midwit
Great stuff. I subscribed!
Wow. Thank you very much. Glad I could offer you something after all the great material you’ve provided over the years.
Akshually the precautionary principle leads midwits to become the commissioner/commissar/oh what’s that other word beginning with comm...
Thanks for another fine, amusing essay!
hahhaha
Great article Dominic. In many ways my opinion is the same as yours.
Yup!