Are rocket scientists and brain surgeons smarter than everyone else?

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Since obviously neither of these fields is a "walk in the park", and it takes years of training to be able to do them -- basic intuition suggests that other forms of intelligence are involved beyond the 6 local-scale domains cited in the study. Having to do with lateral thinkng, holistic analysis and long-range goal planning, for example.

From the BMJ study:

Results The neurosurgeons showed significantly higher scores than the aerospace engineers in semantic problem solving (difference 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.13 to 0.52). Aerospace engineers showed significantly higher scores in mental manipulation and attention (−0.29, −0.48 to −0.09). No difference was found between groups in domain scores for memory (−0.18, −0.40 to 0.03), spatial problem solving (−0.19, −0.39 to 0.01), problem solving speed (0.03, −0.20 to 0.25), and memory recall speed (0.12, −0.10 to 0.35). When each group’s scores for the six domains were compared with those in the general population, only two differences were significant: the neurosurgeons’ problem solving speed was quicker (mean z score 0.24, 95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.41) and their memory recall speed was slower (−0.19, −0.34 to −0.04).

Conclusions In situations that do not require rapid problem solving, it might be more correct to use the phrase “It’s not brain surgery.” It is possible that both neurosurgeons and aerospace engineers are unnecessarily placed on a pedestal and that “It’s a walk in the park” or another phrase unrelated to careers might be more appropriate. Other specialties might deserve to be on that pedestal, and future work should aim to determine the most deserving profession.

I was thinking this just yesterday, when I realised I could probably fix the leaking drain, even though I'm not trained as a plumber.

At first I had my doubts, but then once I got my hands on the pipe and started undoing the join, one thing led to another. By the time my fingers were wet, I had the confidence to keep going and see what I could see. When the drain sections were apart all was revealed. The thin black washer had perished, probably after 30 years.

All that remained was to buy a replacement from the hardware store, fit it, and do the pipes up in the reverse order.

"It's not rocket science." The phrase entered my thoughts as my anxiety abated.

But then again, I thought, rocket science isn't so very different, is it?

I thought about all those pipes on the outside of Saturn V, and the O ring made famous by Richard Feynman's investigation after the Columbia disaster.

Yeah, it's similar. A lot of thing are reducible to something akin to "plumbing".

What makes a good rocket scientist are the same things that make a good plumber. Knowledge of first principle, attention to detail, and a willingness the think things through.

Whilst the stakes may be higher in actual rocket science and brain surgery, the practice of plumbing and gardening have a lot in common. I think that when I spend hours in the yard pulling up weeds. Is what a brain surgeon does much different when she removes a tumour?