How Smart Is William Bell ?

[Snert]

We all know that Walter has a confirmed IQ of around 196. Considering Bell appears to be just as smart or smarter, then just how smart is he ? On another topic, if the Bell we saw in the season finale is actually a native to the alternate universe, could that mean he has a superman like factor ? i.e, he may be of above average intelligence in his own dimension , (IQ 140 or something) , but appears to be of superhuman intelligence in the original dimension (the one we see most of in the show) , possessing an IQ of say, 200-250 ?

Just a thought :D

[Citizen]

We must assume he is as smart as Walter, seeing as he founded MD, wrote the ZFT, is aware of all this alternate universe business and found out how to get there. I'd also like to add that I think Walter is possibly smarter, but his memory problems serve as an obstacle for this.

[musing_11]

Walter may be smarter than Bell, but I think Bell has better real-world and people smarts. I just can't imagine Walter having the capacity to create a multi-national corporation....;)

[VilS]

I believe Walter is smarter, it's just he isn't completely "there". Also, I believe 140 is the genius mark in IQ isn't it?

[BrassOrchid]

I believe Walter is smarter, it's just he isn't completely "there". Also, I believe 140 is the genius mark in IQ isn't it?


140 puts you in the top 2%, which most consider genius level, yes.

[nomadtw]

the scale tops out at 200 it cannot go beyond that, all that can happen is the average place on the rest of the scale shifts down

[Matthew]

I believe they are intellectual equals. They were lab partners, and Bell went on to found Massive Dynamic, we have no evidence to tell us who is smarter than who. So until we see Walter and Bell in a scene together, I am going to call them equals.

[trigger75]

One's IQ is only one specific measurement of intelligence. There is a best selling book called Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell. He also wrote Blink. He devotes a couple of chapters to IQ and how it' only one piece of the puzzle in determining success. People with high IQs do terrible on game shows for example (one reason being they don't think use their brain for trivia, they use it on big picture stuff like the understanding the cosmos). Or people with high IQs but coming from poor families don't have the kind of success their rich counterparts have (knowing how the world works has something to do with it, plus self esteem and all kinds of little variables) All kinds of interesting stuff. It's a good quick read.

Anyway, back to Fringe. We know very little about either of these guys. It's possible Bell found MD via family money or something like that. Or the investors met both and backed Bell over Bishop. Certainly I would. Perhaps Bishop is smarter, but he's too focused on the theoretical and not the applicable. Certainly Bishop has created some really neat things, but it seems instead of heading to the patent office or meeting with private equity investors, he buried his inventions all over the place.

[xofringe314]

I'm reading Blink right now! Cool! Anyway, I think there needs to be something special about William Bell. I mean, could he have become CEO of Massive Dynamic with just people smarts??

[Legion85]

Must be pretty darn smart to open a dimension into another world i think

[Mutsie]

Must be pretty darn smart to open a dimension into another world i think

...I believe that it was an invention of Walter :D and it is also pretty smart to design a plug for it!!

:observer::tiphat:

[Quill]

the scale tops out at 200 it cannot go beyond that, all that can happen is the average place on the rest of the scale shifts down
Kim Ung-yong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Ung-Yong) has a verified IQ of 210. Here's the list to compare Walter's 196 to: Highest IQs on Record (http://onemansblog.com/2007/11/08/the-massive-list-of-genius-people-with-the-highest-iq/).

[D-Roc]

Bell's smart but Nina is smarter. ;) At least I'd like to think she is.

[xofringe314]

I like to think Walter's the smartest. :)

[bookworm2342]

Walter may be smarter than Bell, but I think Bell has better real-world and people smarts. I just can't imagine Walter having the capacity to create a multi-national corporation....;)

I think that before Walter went in the institution, he did have real-world and people smarts. I honestly think that his time in the institution, separated from society for so long, caused that part of him to deteriorate.