I think, OP, that it's a mirage of the inborn need of notion of fair share, with the subjective feeling of being gifted. If you are gifted, you feel you need to gift others. If you are rich, you feel the need to give alms. If you are beautiful, you feel the need to become a film star. If you are powerfully strong (historically) you felt the need to be a hero of defending your city state, or something. If you were a god, you felt the need to redeem the great unwashed.

Being gifted compels you to feel guilty about being gifted, and you want to compensate. Being intelligent is just one way of being gifted.

Do people of higher intelligence in real life feel obligated to make the world a better place...? — TiredThinker

Not necessarily:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski
Intellect is only one mental faculty of many, which all combine to yield an individual ethic of altruism.

it's a mirage of the inborn need of notion of fair share — god must be atheist

:up:

Exploring this point a bit more, one of the capacities of human intelligence is an ability to model larger social networks. So yeah I think higher intelligence, larger social models, broader application of notions of fairness.

I think your question is very easily answered by empirical observation. And the answer is No.

1. I think your question is very easily answered by empirical observation. 2. And the answer is No. — dimosthenis9

1 is true.
2. is either true or false; an empirical observation is needed not just of a few select individuals, but of a group randomly selected of the general pool of people, and examining a large enough number of them to make the empirical observation statistically significant.

I don't believe you have examined that large number of highly intelligent people, Dimosthenis9. Therefore your answer is arbitrary, and unreliable.

We can still use the speculative approach using analytical thoughts. That's what the rest of us, other than you, D, did. Our answer is not completely reliable, but it uses logic and reason to figure out the answer; therefore it is not completely arbitrary. Whereas your empirical method was completely arbitrary, while udoubtedly your method would yield a better, more accurate result than ours, should the observation have properly been made.

Do people of higher intelligence in real life feel obligated to make the world a better place, or are they as self serving as the rest of us? — TiredThinker

Why? Couldn't it just as well be the other way around?

How does one even understand 'make the world a better place?' In what sense 'better'? This same idea has been put in a myriad of different ways - i.e., wealthy people should feel obliged to make the world a better place. I've heard this applied also to artists; musicians; Westerners; Americans...

Is your idea that with great intelligence there's an enhanced moral awareness?

I don't believe you have examined that large number of highly intelligent people, Dimosthenis9. Therefore your answer is arbitrary, and unreliable. — god must be atheist

I notice it in everyday life. I m sure you do also. And I find it pretty reliable.
Intelligence doesn't go hand to hand with sense of obligation. Many intelligent people end up criminals or have racist beliefs or are selfish or whatever. We see it nowadays, we saw it throughout history also. That's what I mean with empirical observation. And it is crystal clear,that you can't make a rule out of it.
No need for any survey examination as to identify that.

but it uses logic and reason to figure out the answer; — god must be atheist

No it doesn't. It's just a speculation and not even based solidly.
Following the logical path, sense of obligation entails much more psychological aspects (not to mention the environmental aspects also) as to connect it only with intelligence. Idiots can easily have a sense of obligation also. It just depends on each individual person and its unique characteristics. That's the only logical conclusion.

I have a friend, who desperately wants a significant other. The only thing is he's not incredibly good looking, a little socially inept( in terms of social queues), not exactly the most intelligent guy on earth...etc.

Now not to be egotistical or anything, but girls flock to me like flies. I don't know exactly why, but it just happens to be that way.

This happens to be incredibly ironic, because I, the "magnet" have zero intention of getting a lover, and here I have a person close to me who acts like all of his problems could be solved if he just had someone who smelled nice, someone he could talk to, engage romantically, etc.

I don't know if enhanced qualities involve a sense of obligation, but they certainly involve a sense of guilt (at least in my experience).

Funny you say this, John27. I ain't no chick magnet, they just want to be friends, if even that. But I know a guy who is like your friend. His problem is a speech impediment and a profound inability to communicate. I would have thought that that was a huge plus in a relationship -- no arguments, no snide remarks, no under-handed compliments, no put-downs.

Sometimes, girls just wanna feel the heat.

(of an intense and controversial debate.)

That is a very true and astute observation. I have seen it happen and I've read it recounted in fiction, I think.

To have success in life it pays to serves others. You may call this 'selfish' but if it acts to helps out others then that necessarily removes the burden from yourself PLUS gives a degree of satisfaction I'd say?

Intelligence? That is a whole can of worms! I'm not convinced that being intelligent makes you a 'better/worse person' in any way.

If we're just talking in terms of IQ alone neither a reasonably high IQ nor a reasonably low IQ have much to do with someone's character.

Ok doky.

Why do you think God's omniscient?

Intelligence translates into:

1. Knowledge of ethics.

2. Knowledge of causality.

The two go together to shape one's sense of responsibility.

one's feeling of obligation to contribute is based on one's feeling of attachment and subsequent responsibility to society. If one does not feel an attachment, there would be no motivation to contribute. Intelligence, in itself, does not factor in the equation. The value and efficacy of one's contribution would be affected by intelligence.

God, omniscient, seems to have absconded (vide deus otiosus). Something like that.

There's no way I'm getting myself involved in this mess! — God