Metas?

[Martin Hash]

I am no meta hunter either. But I agree with your assessment. I tend to think of it as a form of hacking/exploiting the human mind. It is the same understanding that major retailers employ when designing store layout and product placement. It has become a science of what goes where to entice people to buy their products.

Hypnotizing people into doing what you want is certainly a Mule tactic ("Foundation and Empire"), and qualifies as Meta. I don't think Scott Adams actually does that but he understands it to such a degree I consider him a possible Meta. He doesn't have a lot of other indicators though.

[Martin Hash]

I'm not just looking for Metas among famous people. For example, people with doctorates in science, medicine & law are also good candidates, of which there are 20 in the world. Of these, this guy, Donald Holmquest, is probably a Meta. Some of the others are also strong possibilities. Trifectas

[TheReal_ND]

Im going to doctorate in medicine, science and law and become the turbo Jew

What did they mean by this?

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

@Hash

I notice you include neither combat prowess nor spiritual powers in your qualifying markers.

I would recommend this man to your list:

[Martin Hash]

I notice you include neither combat prowess nor spiritual powers in your qualifying markers.

I would recommend this man to your list:

Well, he does have an impeccable interior decorator...

p.s. Prayer Kung-fu would be under "Sports." (That's where I put "collections" and "Pilots license" too.)
p.p.s. Spirituality is under "Philosophy" (But you have to make up your own religion to count so this guy probably qualifies.)
p.p.p.s. He also gets a point for flamboyance, under "Beauty."
p.p.p.p.s. Have to see his degree count to really know.

[adwinistrator]

David Byrne

You're the 2nd person to mention him. I need to give him another look.


I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for? Every time I really dig into somebody's personality, they seem odd but not obviously superior, but maybe wisdom isn't a defining quality? Probably their insight is in another area that I can't recognize because I don't have it.

I mean, is "meta" about people achieving this level of success, with ease, in ways that don't seem to make sense?

Andy Warhol?

[Martin Hash]

David Byrne

You're the 2nd person to mention him. I need to give him another look.


I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for? Every time I really dig into somebody's personality, they seem odd but not obviously superior, but maybe wisdom isn't a defining quality? Probably their insight is in another area that I can't recognize because I don't have it.

I mean, is "meta" about people achieving this level of success, with ease, in ways that don't seem to make sense?

Andy Warhol?

A "Meta" is a level of awareness & all-round intellectual capability that people don't currently possess, outside of imaginative stories. I suspect Metas exist from personal experience, and I think they can be identified by the number of things they're good at, and by their inexplicable success. It's the same reason I don't believe in evolution as it's currently taught - just too damn improbable, something more is going on.

[DBTrek]

Presumably Isaac Newton would be meta, no?

[Martin Hash]

Presumably Isaac Newton would be meta, no?

Don't know. He was certainly insightful but he doesn't really rank as a Renaissance Myn: Isaac Newton

It would be interesting to see how a lot of these famous scientists in history would stack up to modern braintrusts. Benjamin Franklin seems like he'd kick ass no matter what generation we're talking about but some of the others, their biography is not that impressive outside The One Thing. But it's hard enough trying to figure it out now, let alone someone wrapped in the mythology of the past.

[Fife]

Ike Newton was "insightful," yo!