I would expect the opposite to be true actually. Having few deleterious genetic mutations will lead to better physical fitness and also greater intelligence. And greater intelligence will be negatively related to belief in conspiracies.
I don't think that has much to do with this - what separates Kyrie and the average person is not the deleterious mutations but positive athletic-enhancing mutations; the deleterious load would only matter in the extremes and even then I would guess is swamped by the person's particular genetic inheritance (you may have a higher than avg amount of bad mutations but if your parents are both professional athletes you will be a good athlete). Also, the common nerd stereotype goes the opposite way (smart people being unathletic) right? A cursory search shows a weak correlation between IQ and athletic performance but this isn't necessarily due to genetic correlation (smarter people are better at figuring out how to train better). I'm sure the correlation between IQ and conspiracy theory belief is negative but I'm guessing it's only moderately strong (we can all think of counter-examples). Taken together, I'm not really sure these correlations matter much if at all.
I think high intelligence corresponds positively with belief in conspiracy theories. There is always some kind of "evidence" to get them off the ground at all. If you are used to being smarter than those around you, and thinking for yourself, you are going to be much less swayed by ppl saying "oh no that's not true it's a conspiracy theory"
Oh yeah there is a lot more going on here for sure (famous people surrounded by charlatans and yes-men also), but maybe that is all acting to hide some subtle athletic/psychological correlation. Very speculative for sure.
I see two possible theories here, one more plausible and one less. I think you're positing the more plausible one, but either way distinguishing between them may prove useful.
Less plausible:
There is a general adjectival overlap between physical and mental traits. Kyrie Irving's contortionism applies physically, therefore it applies mentally. A weightlifter will have strong beliefs. A ballerina will have flexible thinking. The causal mechanism is an almost metaphysical connection people have to descriptive language.
More plausible:
We often overestimate the distinction between our mind's thoughts and its control over our bodies. The fact that Kyrie Irving is so quick to attempt to move his body in unorthodox ways and is so talented at both envisioning and executing those movements is indicative of a mental flexibility that we would expect to express itself in other ways as well, off the basketball court. The causal mechanism is the structure of our brains, expressing itself differently in different areas.
Maybe it's obvious to everyone that read the post that you're talking about the second one, but I could imagine someone being confused, so hopefully that was helpful. Personally, the first seems obviously false and the second clearly true (but less useful for making clear predictions about the world).
Thank you for this, you are right I was thinking more about the second hypothesis (the connection is biological).
Your second hypothesis is interesting and I wouldn't dismiss it as readily as you do, though maybe not in the exact form you seem to suggest. This reminds me of Lakoff and Johnson-style conceptual metaphors - https://medium.com/@matt.flownotes/what-are-conceptual-metaphors-9ce9b8f633d7. Someone who is thinking about strength all the time is more likely to think and perceive the world through strength-based metaphors and may also be primed to have stronger beliefs in some subtle manner. Not sure how this would map onto Kyrie in particular but there may be something to this link of thinking.
It's a shame he's an anti-Semite. 1. anti-Semitism is unforgivable 2. it feels morally suspect to compliment an anti-Semite in any way. He's really good at basketball though. Everyone who knows anything about basketball agrees. otherwise he wouldn't be worth talking about. He'd just be another reprehensible asshole, there's plenty of those. But he's not only not-untalented- he's a generational talent.
If he wasn't such a dumb cunt he'd be the face of the NBA. His handles are otherworldly, his finishing at the rim is magic, and he's clutch. I think part of the obsession with Kyrie for the average Joe is that a normal person can't fathom fucking up that much talent, money, adoration and potential success by simply not "playing ball" with the norms and expectations of their organization. And despite all his fuckery- he's so good teams go out of their way to take a chance on him and pay him millions of dollars. He keeps burning them, and he keeps getting away with it.
It's also uniquely weird to hear such profound nonsense come from someone who is actually really well spoken. He objectively comes across as level headed and articulate in interviews. It's off-putting how calm and confident he his while spewing some seriously backwards ass thinking.
There's 1500 ballers in the NBA- every single one of them is a world class athlete (one of the best athletes to ever walk the earth at a given time, ever). I do believe what separates the 15th guy on the bench from a perennial All-Star- at least in part- is world class mental fortitude.
For Kyrie- it's almost (dare i say it) respectable how willing he is to die on unfavorable hills. He has full confidence in himself and his convictions- in the face of millions of lost dollars and fans. It's that same confidence (sociopathy?) that I think makes him a clutch, steel-hearted assassin on the parquet. The guy really doesn't give a shit. It's unique. Never forget Game 7 against the Warriors. Fuck Kyrie
I would expect the opposite to be true actually. Having few deleterious genetic mutations will lead to better physical fitness and also greater intelligence. And greater intelligence will be negatively related to belief in conspiracies.
I don't think that has much to do with this - what separates Kyrie and the average person is not the deleterious mutations but positive athletic-enhancing mutations; the deleterious load would only matter in the extremes and even then I would guess is swamped by the person's particular genetic inheritance (you may have a higher than avg amount of bad mutations but if your parents are both professional athletes you will be a good athlete). Also, the common nerd stereotype goes the opposite way (smart people being unathletic) right? A cursory search shows a weak correlation between IQ and athletic performance but this isn't necessarily due to genetic correlation (smarter people are better at figuring out how to train better). I'm sure the correlation between IQ and conspiracy theory belief is negative but I'm guessing it's only moderately strong (we can all think of counter-examples). Taken together, I'm not really sure these correlations matter much if at all.
I think high intelligence corresponds positively with belief in conspiracy theories. There is always some kind of "evidence" to get them off the ground at all. If you are used to being smarter than those around you, and thinking for yourself, you are going to be much less swayed by ppl saying "oh no that's not true it's a conspiracy theory"
Successful athletes, like CEOs, tend to exhibit extreme self-confidence, even unto vainglory.
Oh yeah there is a lot more going on here for sure (famous people surrounded by charlatans and yes-men also), but maybe that is all acting to hide some subtle athletic/psychological correlation. Very speculative for sure.
Refusing medical tyranny is a bad thing?! Boo and bye!
Yea I mean I wouldn't equate not wanting the vaccine with believing in flat earth theory... but lol medical tyranny - fuck off and good riddance
Well, the good news is that Kareem is on Substack
Not all hoopers are morons thankfully
And Kareem has quite the range of accomplishments.
totally, great writer too, I'm a big fan
I see two possible theories here, one more plausible and one less. I think you're positing the more plausible one, but either way distinguishing between them may prove useful.
Less plausible:
There is a general adjectival overlap between physical and mental traits. Kyrie Irving's contortionism applies physically, therefore it applies mentally. A weightlifter will have strong beliefs. A ballerina will have flexible thinking. The causal mechanism is an almost metaphysical connection people have to descriptive language.
More plausible:
We often overestimate the distinction between our mind's thoughts and its control over our bodies. The fact that Kyrie Irving is so quick to attempt to move his body in unorthodox ways and is so talented at both envisioning and executing those movements is indicative of a mental flexibility that we would expect to express itself in other ways as well, off the basketball court. The causal mechanism is the structure of our brains, expressing itself differently in different areas.
Maybe it's obvious to everyone that read the post that you're talking about the second one, but I could imagine someone being confused, so hopefully that was helpful. Personally, the first seems obviously false and the second clearly true (but less useful for making clear predictions about the world).
Thank you for this, you are right I was thinking more about the second hypothesis (the connection is biological).
Your second hypothesis is interesting and I wouldn't dismiss it as readily as you do, though maybe not in the exact form you seem to suggest. This reminds me of Lakoff and Johnson-style conceptual metaphors - https://medium.com/@matt.flownotes/what-are-conceptual-metaphors-9ce9b8f633d7. Someone who is thinking about strength all the time is more likely to think and perceive the world through strength-based metaphors and may also be primed to have stronger beliefs in some subtle manner. Not sure how this would map onto Kyrie in particular but there may be something to this link of thinking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_metaphor
It's a shame he's an anti-Semite. 1. anti-Semitism is unforgivable 2. it feels morally suspect to compliment an anti-Semite in any way. He's really good at basketball though. Everyone who knows anything about basketball agrees. otherwise he wouldn't be worth talking about. He'd just be another reprehensible asshole, there's plenty of those. But he's not only not-untalented- he's a generational talent.
If he wasn't such a dumb cunt he'd be the face of the NBA. His handles are otherworldly, his finishing at the rim is magic, and he's clutch. I think part of the obsession with Kyrie for the average Joe is that a normal person can't fathom fucking up that much talent, money, adoration and potential success by simply not "playing ball" with the norms and expectations of their organization. And despite all his fuckery- he's so good teams go out of their way to take a chance on him and pay him millions of dollars. He keeps burning them, and he keeps getting away with it.
It's also uniquely weird to hear such profound nonsense come from someone who is actually really well spoken. He objectively comes across as level headed and articulate in interviews. It's off-putting how calm and confident he his while spewing some seriously backwards ass thinking.
There's 1500 ballers in the NBA- every single one of them is a world class athlete (one of the best athletes to ever walk the earth at a given time, ever). I do believe what separates the 15th guy on the bench from a perennial All-Star- at least in part- is world class mental fortitude.
For Kyrie- it's almost (dare i say it) respectable how willing he is to die on unfavorable hills. He has full confidence in himself and his convictions- in the face of millions of lost dollars and fans. It's that same confidence (sociopathy?) that I think makes him a clutch, steel-hearted assassin on the parquet. The guy really doesn't give a shit. It's unique. Never forget Game 7 against the Warriors. Fuck Kyrie