Those are SAT scores – based on a Facebook analysis (by Virgil Griffith via Tyler Cowen)
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January 27th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
This is the type of analysis that a freshman might think is important.
January 27th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
As someone who always did well on scantron tests, I’ve always thought that they principally measure your ability to do well on scantron tests. They don’t have much to do with intelligence any that matters. My guess is that someone who read several of the books on the left side of the list is probably better off than someone who read one or two on the right side.
January 27th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Richard, your ‘Virgil Griffith’ credit link is pointing to the NYTimes. I think you need to point it here:
http://booksthatmakeyoudumb.virgil.gr/
January 28th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
aren’t “the Holy Bible” and “the Bible” the same book??? What am I missing here?
January 28th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Thank you once again MB. I also wondered about the bible(s).
January 28th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
There are a few overlaps of authors and books: John Grisham, A Time to Kill; Dan Brown, DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons; Shakesphere, Hamlet; CS Lewis, Narnia.
The multiple book winner is Steinbeck with three: Mice & Men, Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden. Two each are Mitch Alborn, JRR Tolkien (with 4 if you count the Lord of the Rings as three), Dan Brown and Shakespeare. Harry Potter is probably multiple books.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Do none of them enjoy non-fiction? There are a few memoirs, but Freakonomics represents the social sciences, and there’s nothing in the hard sciences.