Ronald K. Hoeflin

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Ronald K. Hoeflin (b. 1944) is a philosopher, creator of the Mega[1][2][3] and Titan[4] intelligence tests, and founder of several high-IQ societies; the Top One Percent Society, the One-in-a-Thousand Society, the Prometheus Society, the Epimetheus Society, the Mega Society, and the Omega Society.[5] He has a background in library science, two bachelor's degrees, two master's degrees, and a Ph.D. from the New School for Social Research in New York City. [6] In 1988 Hoeflin won the American Philosophical Association's Rockefeller Prize for his article, "Theories of Truth: A Comprehensive Synthesis."[7] His article argues for the interrelated nature of seven leading theories of truth.[8] He is current editor for the journal Termite.[9][10]

[edit] Biography

Ronald Hoeflin was born in 1944. He grew up in St Louis, Missouri. As a young child he memorized pi to 200 places.[11] He received a PhD in Philosophy from the The New School of Social Research. [12] He is currently writing a three-volume treatise entitled "The Encyclopedia of Categories: A Theory of Categories and Unifying Paradigm for Philosophy". [13] Two volumes have already been published.

[edit] Intelligence Tests

For over sixty years many authorities (such as Leta Stetter Hollingworth, Children Above 180 IQ) have suggested that people with extremely high IQs are radically different from the rest of us[citation needed]. Identifying such people would be of great importance to researchers investigating the biological basis of intelligence, and to schools and universities seeking to provide the best education to all of their students[citation needed].

Unfortunately, recognized standardized tests do not provide reliable results at this level[citation needed]. Although the Wechsler tests appear to have a ceiling above 160, their creator, David Wechsler, claimed they were not intended for use at this level[citation needed]. And the Stanford-Binet had a relatively low ceiling unless given to very young children.[citation needed]

Hoeflin was, along with Kevin Langdon, one of the first people to develop an IQ test that could measure adult IQs greater than three standard deviations from the norm, or IQ 145 (sd 15)[citation needed]. Hoeflin's Mega Test was an untimed and unsupervised IQ test consisting of 48 questions, half verbal and half mathematical. It was published in Omni magazine in April 1985 and the results were used to norm the test. Hoeflin renormed the test six times, using equipercentile equating with SAT and other scores, and some extrapolation at the highest level. [14] The highest scorers on the Mega Test had their names printed in the Guinness Book of World Records [15]and were also profiled (along with Dr Hoeflin himself) by Esquire under the title "The Smartest Man in America".[16] In 1990, he created the Titan Test, also published in Omni. Believing that people at the highest IQ levels would be able easily to communicate with each other and have much in common, Hoeflin founded several societies for those with the highest scores. [17] All are active today. These societies are (along with year founded, percentile, and minimum IQ (sd 16)):

Societies Founded by Ronald Hoeflin
Society Year founded Acceptance Percentile Acceptance IQ (SD 16)
Prometheus Society 1982 99.997 164
Mega Society 1982 99.9999 176
The following four groups belong to the Lewis M. Terman Society
Top One Percent Society 1989 99 137
One-in-a-Thousand Society 1992 99.9 150
Epimetheus Society 2006 99.997 164
Omega Society 2006 99.9999 176

[edit] References

  1. ^ Morris, Scot. "The one-in-a-million I.Q. test". Omni magazine, April 1985, pp 128-132.
  2. ^ Republic Magazine, November 1985, "Beyond Mensa," by Catherine Seipp
  3. ^ Test Critiques, Volume VIII, Daniel J. Keyser, Ph.D., Richard C. Sweetland, Ph.D. General Editors; 1991, PRO-ED (ISBN 0-89079-254-2); Test Critique: The Mega Test; reviewed by Roger D. Carlson, Ph.D. (pp. 431-435)
  4. ^ "Mind Games: the hardest IQ test you'll ever love suffering through", Omni magazine, pp 90 ff, April 1990
  5. ^ www.puzz.com
  6. ^ Hoeflin, Ronald. "About the Author." Noesis, Issue #176 February 2005.
  7. ^ www.apa.udel.edu
  8. ^ Proceedings, "News from the National Office". Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, Vol. 62, No. 4. (Mar., 1989), pp. 691.
  9. ^ www.eskimo.com
  10. ^ www.puzz.com
  11. ^ "The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World" by A. J. Jacobs (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
  12. ^ "The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World" by A. J. Jacobs (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
  13. ^ Aviv, Rachel. ""The Intelligencer"", Village Voice, 2006-08-02. Retrieved on 2006-08-02.  This article is primarily a biography of and interview with Dr Hoeflin
  14. ^ Membership Committee (1999). "1998/99 Membership Committee Report". . Prometheus Society Retrieved on 2006-07-26.
  15. ^ Guinness Book of World Records, Bantam Books 1988, page 29
  16. ^ Sager, Mike (November 1999). The Smartest Man in America (English). Esquire. Archived from the original on April 2001. Retrieved on 2007-01-10. One such scorer, Marilyn vos Savant, was also profiled in Baumgold, Julie (February 6, 1989). "In the Kingdom of the Brain". New York magazine. This article also discusses Dr Hoeflin and the Mega Society.
  17. ^ A Short (and Bloody) History of the High I.Q. Societies