How To Estimate Someone’s IQ in Conversation; Answer on Qora, Reblogging it.

The complexity and diversity of ideas, and especially the ability to synthesize and connect ideas. A High IQ person is going to have a lot of things to say, often will have a range of different subjects they will like to talk about, and demonstrates an ability to apply things they learn in creative ways.
Specifically, the more complexity a person can demonstrate in an answer—-especially originality—-the higher IQ they probably have.
Like, if you’re talking to someone, and all they talk about are popular ideas, they mimic popular catch phrases, you catch them in conversation having opinions you commonly hear… likely not an intelligent person. Like, people who usually answer questions about IQ, and then harass the person who asked it by calling them stupid—-basically the more angry they are, and the more common the response—-the less intelligent they are. But, if someone can give you a metaphor or concrete idea, they’re already at the genius level. It’s hard to do. And depending on the range of subjects they can master and put together…
That ought to be a good way of understanding someone’s IQ.
Though, a true genius will usually understand all sides of an argument. Goethe, having an IQ of 200, could simultaneously hold conflicting viewpoints and reconcile them. It’s why he’s considered so intelligent. If you see that, the ability to sympathize with all sides of an argument, and especially the ability to synthesize them in creative ways, and then they can do that for lots of things and a vast range of subjects, you’re likely dealing with a true genius. Someone who can relatively master all sides of an argument, and hold those views simultaneously is typically a good example of someone who is truly gifted. The more galvanized someone is into one or the other side, the less likely they are to be at that level. I’m talking 180, 190 iq people are extraordinarily good at understanding multiple viewpoints, and they typically will have the unique ability to reconcile those viewpoints in creative ways.
But then again, you can teach yourself that skill. The other thing that you recognize, is the ability of a genius to recognize truth. That’s one of the hardest things for a person to do on their own, is find the strings of truth. It’s a lie that reality is subjective. But, since it’s so hard for people to understand that their ideas might not be correct, they default to this pattern of thinking often, and reject objective, core realities. When a person doesn’t do that, when they stick to objective truths over superimposed or subjective realities, and they also understand all sides of an argument, you’re looking at a genius. If they can simultaneously hold to multiple positions—-and I can’t do this, I’m very conservative—-and convincingly believe them all at once, and they are very good at telling you accurate information, I’d suspect that person is a smart cookie. Probably a genius in the upper echelons of intelligence. Around the 180, 190 mark. Or even higher.
Also, there’s one more thing I should mention. People with IQs around 140–165 are usually gifted in their abilities in either the Maths or the Humanities. They don’t usually show prodigiousness in both. If they do, they are likely in the range above 165. A person who is good at both humanities and math—-like John Locke for example—is a very intelligent sort of man. People who are gifted in both areas, Maths and the Arts, are among the highest intellects. And I mean truly gifted. I don’t mean you’re good at Math, and you decide to make a sculpture based on some math equation. Or you decide to draw a perfect circle free hand. I’m talking that you’re good at both science and math. You can develop and ornithopter and also paint the Mona Lisa. Or you can discover electricity and negotiate with the French to aid you in your revolution. Those kinds of multiply gifted people are rare. Normally, someone will be either gifted in one or the other, or be moderately gifted in both. They won’t be prodigious in both the Maths and the Arts. Some people are. And typically, those people are the ones we remember.
That should be enough. God bless!