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Justin Elkin

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Why isn't there a "brain" olympics?

Every four years the world gathers to have competition of the physical variety. Why isn't there a competition of the intellectual variety? You know, brain decathlons, spelling bees, reasoning capability contests....

Topics: competition competitive advantage intellectual acheivement
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    David Hamilton 50+

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    Sep 7 2012: Because, you can't have sex with a brain?
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    Gail . 50+

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    Sep 6 2012: Who would be the judges and who the contestants? As the system became more perfected, the very best would be competing. When it came to reasoning ability, you would come to a significant obstacle. If the contestants know more than the judges, how can a judge, judge fairly?

    Today, what most people call logic isn't very logical.

  • hcdoitsu gotweed

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    Sep 6 2012: There is, ait;s called graduate school`.
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    Mark Kurtz 20+

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    Sep 6 2012: :_) Too many hurdles!
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    Fritzie Reisner 100+

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    Host
    Sep 6 2012: All one could televise in these sorts of events would be award ceremonies. Work is submitted in pages of writing and evaluated by points.
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    Fritzie Reisner 100+

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    Sep 6 2012: Here are links to some of the many international olympiads of an intellectual variety, including math, each of the sciences, linguistics, philosophy, and so forth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Science_Olympiad

    Coincidentally I have known competitiors on the US teams that competed in the chemistry, physics, and linguistics olympiads.
    These olympiads are aimed at high school students.Spelling contests would be difficult in international competition because of language differences.


    Judging in these sorts of olympiads is time consuming and involves special skills, so they are probably best organized as they are, in different cities around the globe at different times rather than all at one location simultaneously.
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      Justin Elkin

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      Sep 6 2012: Awesome. Too bad there's nothing televised or is there a channel or particular news media for them?
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    peter lindsay 30+

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    Sep 6 2012: International Math Olympiad, International Science olympiad (bio phys chem plus others) since the early 60s
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    Gerald O'brian 50+

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    Sep 5 2012: There should definitely be brain special olympics.
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