I became uncomfortably aware that Mensans, however high their paper IQ might be, were likely to be as irrational as anyone else. Many of them believed themselves to be part of a “superior” group that ought to rule the world, and despised non-Mensans as inferiors. Naturally, they tended to be right-wing conservatives, and I generally feel terribly out of sympathy with such views.
At its core, Asimov’s objection to Mensa boiled down to rejecting their elitism. Writing in a letter from October 28, 1983, he said bluntly, “It seems to me that Mensans tend to be elitist in many of their views— an attitude with which I, personally, am not in sympathy.” In his estimation, valuing intelligence, science, and education is completely at odds with creating a subculture which resents and demonizes anyone less intelligent than them or those who can’t score as high on an IQ test as them.
Recalling Asimov’s views in “A Cult of Ignorance,” he didn’t advocate for the super smart to rule over everyone; rather, he encouraged all people to expand their intellectual horizons so as to become better individuals and citizens within a democracy. This democratic, ant-elitist stance separated Asimov from many of his fellow Mensans, which led to his resignation from the group in 1989. In short, Isaac Asimov didn’t wield his intelligence with a closed fist, but with an open hand to anyone who desired to learn and grow in an open, humanistic, democratic society. [The Anti-Elitist Intellectualism of Isaac Asimov](https://www.justinclark.org/blog/the-anti-elitist-intellectualism-of-isaac-asimov](https://www.justinclark.org/blog/the-anti-elitist-intellectualism-of-isaac-asimov)