Such Irony
Honor Thy Inferior
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2010
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These are all very valid arguments. I'm sure his level of intelligence is extremely high and he is among the elite in that sense. But I wouldn't say he is the single most smartest person in the world.
I think he is indeed extremely intelligent but the smartest? The best? I wonder how much of his knowledge is due to his condition - being focused on developing new theories and ideas simply because his condition restricts a lot of alternate tasks. He's had it for decades, I could imagine an alternate Hawking without the illness perhaps being more rounded. I recall him saying in an interview that it was the initial prognosis that he did not have long to live drove him to think in new ways and productively use the time he had left.
I would agree that in his area he is extremely smart, and then he could be an idiot in other areas.
The short answer is very likely not. Although he is known for his intelligence, and he no doubt is massively so, there are other factors beyond his intelligence that will have attributed to his status in the public eye. There are sure to be more intelligent, less public geniuses out there.