Genius vs. idiot

A really great post was made on another thread here: More men are at the genius level than women but more men are at the "idiot" level than women. Yeah, the wording is funny but it does make for a very interesting discussion and something I have been interested in for a long time. So if anybody cares to discuss, I would love to hear your thoughts! Is a person born smart or is upbringing the crucial component? Did a whole host of genius men in the past become so because they were born smart or was it that boys were valued more than girls and thus resources spent on the males? From what I read, it was also largely first born males who are "geniuses" in the history books. That would suggest they are nurtured to become such. The family resources being spent to educate the future patriarch of the family. Often the second, third and fourth brother got little to no education whatsoever because the money was spent on the first born. Girls? Unless you were exceptionally wealthy, not a chance. Yeah the whole thing was sexist but back then girls were a terrible expense (dowry, leaving, not being able to stick around to help the family) and I can understand if resources were really tight that only boys would be educated. You did what had to with what you had. What about today? Oddly, from what I have read it is the second born who is more likely to be a genius. The reasons are wide and I'm sure debatable. The current "theory" is that in this day and age, helicopter parents are relentless to their first born, often rendering their child unable to think for themselves, so they lack necessary skills and decision making. I've also read that genius girls are climbing. Is this because girls are now valued unlike the past and educated or is it nutrition during pregnancy and that the genius population is on the rise due to mothers who ate right during pregnancy? There are two children from the Ceaușescu atrocities who were "raised" with very little human interaction. Orphans from his disgusting belief that women should be forced to have babies. They both were tested at 170 and 168 I.Q. Little hands on human contact, virtually no parenting and scarce food. Many say that would suggest that genius is born, not raised. I really don't know but it would make for a great discussion if you guys/gals are up for it. This kind of stuff really does fascinate me. :)

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