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A Work In Progress

Mensa owes its existence to the importance humans place on their minds. We think of them as what distinguishes us from mere animals (arrogant, aren't we!). And we think of how measureable differences among human minds might allow us to distinguish ourselves from others of our own kind.

Egalitarians, hate it though they may, are forced to acknowledge that either intelligence is worthless or more intelligence is better than less (perhaps up to some point beyond which more intelligence is no help to us).

Mensa's first stated aim in its constitution is to "identify and foster intelligence for the benefit of humanity." However, Mensa has always concentrated instead on its third aim: to provide a stimulating social environment for its members. I understand this as a natural emphasis, but I've long been a bit dissatisfied with Mensa's rather weak commitment to that first (and ultimately, most important, I think) aim. I continue to press the point from time to time within Mensa, but lately I've been focusing my efforts on behalf of intelligence elsewhere.

Two areas of effort are paramount. The first of these is to develop an understanding of how our mind works -- a functional understanding of neuropsychology. When the dust settles, I'm convinced, most people will be rather embarrassed to see how much of what they believe about their own processes of judgment and evaluation in ordinary life is radically incorrect. Much research has already been undertaken on systematic errors of judgment we all are susceptible to, stemming from thought processes that psychologists call heuristics and schemata. Other research indicates that our normal conception of our conscious selves as being single, undivided entities is also wrong. Split brain studies show two major functional divisions within our seemingly seamless minds -- and that, I'm convinced, will be the smallest upheaval as we revise our theories about what the mind is and how it works.

Variation and selection: it's a theme that not only belongs to biology, but that crops up almost everywhere you look.

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" That old saw describes the process of trial and error (vary the nature of your attempts until one is selected as successful by your circumstances), and of the scientific method (discard each variant theory that doesn't fit -- is selected against by -- the facts).

In Nature, not only the outright survival of organisms depends on the selection of variants, but other relationships are defined and refined that way. A species, for example, will constantly try expanding into new territories -- and if one is superior to its current habitat, it will quickly become the primary home.

In addition to the learning processes already mentioned, human behavior includes many other selective mechanisms. Manufacturers will try variations on a successful product (or a brand new one) and success depends on whether or not consumers select such a new product in preference to other things they might spend their money on. Politicians will try to sell voters new schemes for churning out goodies via the political process, and they will be elected only if their sales job is superior to that of competitors.

The list goes on and on. It still amazes me that, given the ubiquitous nature of variation and selection in our experience, that many people still refuse to believe that it could have played a role in our development as a species!

There's really no good reason for there to be disagreement here. People who believe in a creator shouldn't be surprised that science has identified an ingeniously simple tool for creating marvelously complex creatures over what, in cosmic terms, is just a matter of days. Those who believe the universe and its denizens (like us) is the natural outgrowth of physical laws operating since the beginning of time now can see how much of it was accomplished.

I took up the formal study of philosophy upon leaving the editorship of the Mensa Bulletin. Considering what to do next, I realized I had been doing philosophy in many ways, and enjoying it immensely -- presiding over arguments in the letters column, admonishing writers to justify their opinions, lobbying for an organizational commitment to fostering the development of tools for the mind, and writing editorials on philosophical topics.

On Thanksgiving weekend in '95 I married Fran Arnesen, a pharmacist I met through Mensa. I had discarded a lot of otherwise comfortable relationships over the years for lack of the deep compatibility I wanted with my wife -- and the wait was certainly worth it! Our interests and attitudes are incredibly well matched. If you know about the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory, both of us are INTPs. Two days separate our birthdays in May, and we joke about being Gemini "twins".

Both of us are big science fiction buffs, and (owing our relationship to Mensa) it just seemed natural to have a Star Trek theme wedding in conjunction with our local Mensa convention.

Our new home is in sub-suburban Bedford, Indiana (about a 20-minute commute to campus in Bloomington), with our Rhodesian Ridgeback dog, Artoo Deetoo (or R2 for her breed and D2 variously for "Dynamic Dog," "Dastardly Demon," "Domesticated Disaster," or whatever else fits at the moment), and twin female Maine Coon Cats -- Pandora (who daily lives up to her name) and Schroedinger ("Dinger" for short, and yes, we're certain about that).

Fran is working mightily to break into science fiction and get out of pharmacy. Her first sale, a short story for ANALOG, appeared in the September '97 issue. And she quickly sold a novella to ANALOG, which is in the December '98 issue. In the February '01 issue she finally had the lead story for the issue -- name on the cover, an author's profile, and all! Another lead story came in December '01: "Navajo Moon-Bird," which made wonderful use of her experience living on the reservation.

Fran's first sf novel, Escape to Serendipity, is currently being examined by Baen Books, and her second novel, Poseidon's Children, is at the "synopsis and sample chapters for circulation" stage.

Don't ask me why it took me some 40 years to finally take a firm stand on the proposition that extortion is wrong, even when the government does it. Hell, especially when the government does it!

Just kidding.... But seriously, folks -- I haven't had time to write this part yet.

I grew up in a National Park Service family, spending my formative years at Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, and Carlsbad Caverns, where my two younger sisters and I learned a lot about the world of physics and biology that produced us all.

I showed a youthful aptitude for science and mathematics, so after graduating from Phillips Academy (Andover, not Exeter), I went directly to Rice University to study engineering. Immature and disinterested in the field, I beat a retreat into the military after two years, where I played trumpet with the 62nd U.S. Army Band at Fort Bliss, Texas, and the 82nd U.S. Army Band near Stuttgart, Germany.

Returning to the States, I went to Arizona State University on my G.I. Bill, trying out several majors before settling on music theory. While there, I continued to work part-time as a musician -- something I still do today.

After graduating, I stayed on at my fraternity (yep, I joined one: Sigma Phi Epsilon) as Resident Advisor and worked on a commission to produce the first new edition of the national fraternity's songbook in over a decade. Some of my original songs myteriously wound up in it....

Then I went on the road that summer with an Elvis impersonator -- I kid you not -- as music director, arranger, and trumpet player. It was fun, and a very well received show, but after a few weeks at Six Flags Over the Midwest it all fell apart because of internal politics.

I came back in need of a job, and got one at Radio Shack. I went on to manage a few computer departments for them -- until they realized I'd never devote my life wholly to the company and forced me to quit by cutting back my hours and such.

By that time, I'd already been doing some direct mail copywriting on the side, and that turned into full-time work just as I needed it. I was editing the local Mensa newsletter and earning some national attention -- and wound up editing the national magazine, the Mensa Bulletin. Since that job had been burning out volunteers for many years, and nobody could handle it for more than a year or two while making a living at something else, they decided to make the editorship a contract position and keep me around for a while.

"A while" turned out to be 7 1/2 years. I was finally outbid by a gal in California with a more impressive professional background in publishing than I had (the latter being none at all). I decided to pursue my interests in philosophy and psychology by going back to school. That was in '93, and I completed my Master of Arts in Philosophy in December 1997. I'm now studying at Indiana University, Bloomington, in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.