He isn't on the list of sexually active popes and the vow of celibacy is active in the Catholic Church.
3. Evidence of eminence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI (Academic career: 1951–1977). He was the Pope. He was smart based on his writings and speeches. I wish he had sired thousands of children. Also, he died just before the start of 2023, which is unfortunate. I want to die on the first day of the new year.
I nominate Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who joined the choir invisible on December 31, 2022, a nail-biter time to qualify for the newly-christened Dysgenics Award of 2022, almost as though he prophesied the existence of this award and was angling for it. True to his lifelong service to Rome, not once (to our knowledge) did he ever service a reproductively-aged female.
But, why, you may ask, is the omission of his genome from our collective gene pool a loss to humanity? Yes, he had a Dixie-cup-and-string telephone line to God, but does that really mean his genitals were useless in averting humanity's impending collision with Idiocracy? I asked myself the same thing when I decided to nominate His Holiness, and I found some half-convincing ad hoc reasons why his genitals were so useless.
For one thing, one of the first things he did upon ascending to the Papal Chair is to force the resignation of Marcial Maciel, a leading priest with a history of sexual abuse of boys, girls and women. In contrast to His Holiness Benedict XVI, Padre Marcial Maciel contributed fruitfully to our collective gene pool, fathering six children total. Two of the mothers were among those he allegedly abused.
Now, you may think a move to defrock such a sex fiend is a low bar, but we are talking about the Catholic Church, after all. If anything, I expect Popes throughout history would have promoted such dirty perverts to the higher ranks, to allow even more prolific sexual contributions. But, no, His Holiness Benedict XVI, perhaps listening to that telephone line, decided the opposite. This would reflect an IQ of AT LEAST 100.
To send that minimum IQ possibility even higher, perhaps as high as 104, His Holiness was leading the Church at a time when it seemed much like NAMBLA except less reputable. That thing with Father Maciel was just one of many decisions in which he had to expertly balance the benefits of a thriving sexual perversion society with the many costs. During His Holiness' reign, the blasphemers Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens were calling for His Holiness' arrest. And yet His Holiness never noticeably attempted to murder either of them. Would you be able to show such restraint? I know nobody who would not be happy to hasten the meeting between Richard Dawkins and his Maker.
There must be other reasons, but I think I wrote enough: Benedict XVI is deserving of this award. We have His Holiness to thank for our descendant's arrival toward Idiocracy, not only because he withheld the contributions of his own genes, but also because he barrenized other potential fertility leaders.
Philosopher and former child prodigy Saul Kripke. Considered one of the 20th century greatest philosophers and was indeed so brilliant that a B.S. in mathematics was the only academic qualification he ever got.
No mention of children in any of the obituaries. His marriage with a British philosopher ended in divorce. He was notoriously inept in the social department.
3/ "Professor Kripke’s classic work, “Naming and Necessity,” first published in 1972 and drawn from three lectures he delivered at Princeton University in 1970 before he was 30, was considered one of the century’s most evocative philosophical books."
Regarding his childhood brilliance:
"The rabbi’s precocious son had taught himself ancient Hebrew by the age of 6, had finished reading Shakespeare’s complete works by 9 and published his first completeness theorem in modal logic when he was 18."
3) Improved foreign relations with the Western world, and military power. Charismatic and inspiring to the Japanese people-someone they desperately needed and will continue to.
Terry Teachout, who amongst other endeavors was a regular contributor as a cultural critic to the WSJ and to Commentary magazine, a biographer of figures including Louis Armstrong and H.L Menken, the librettist of Paul Moravec's opera "The Letter", and the playwright of "Satchmo at the Waldorf".
Obituaries make no mention of him having any children between his two marriages.
Steven Goldberg, chair of Soc. at CCNY for some twenty years until his retirement in 2008 and author of the most logical and intelligent book I have ever read (which he wrote before he turned thirty-two!), “The Inevitability of Patriarchy” (and its many sequels plus several other important books), his obituary mentions no issue: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/steven-goldberg-obituary?id=38467890.
Candidate: Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger aka Pope Benedict XVI.
1. Evidence of childlessness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sexually_active_popes
He isn't on the list of sexually active popes and the vow of celibacy is active in the Catholic Church.
3. Evidence of eminence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI (Academic career: 1951–1977). He was the Pope. He was smart based on his writings and speeches. I wish he had sired thousands of children. Also, he died just before the start of 2023, which is unfortunate. I want to die on the first day of the new year.
I nominate Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who joined the choir invisible on December 31, 2022, a nail-biter time to qualify for the newly-christened Dysgenics Award of 2022, almost as though he prophesied the existence of this award and was angling for it. True to his lifelong service to Rome, not once (to our knowledge) did he ever service a reproductively-aged female.
But, why, you may ask, is the omission of his genome from our collective gene pool a loss to humanity? Yes, he had a Dixie-cup-and-string telephone line to God, but does that really mean his genitals were useless in averting humanity's impending collision with Idiocracy? I asked myself the same thing when I decided to nominate His Holiness, and I found some half-convincing ad hoc reasons why his genitals were so useless.
For one thing, one of the first things he did upon ascending to the Papal Chair is to force the resignation of Marcial Maciel, a leading priest with a history of sexual abuse of boys, girls and women. In contrast to His Holiness Benedict XVI, Padre Marcial Maciel contributed fruitfully to our collective gene pool, fathering six children total. Two of the mothers were among those he allegedly abused.
Now, you may think a move to defrock such a sex fiend is a low bar, but we are talking about the Catholic Church, after all. If anything, I expect Popes throughout history would have promoted such dirty perverts to the higher ranks, to allow even more prolific sexual contributions. But, no, His Holiness Benedict XVI, perhaps listening to that telephone line, decided the opposite. This would reflect an IQ of AT LEAST 100.
To send that minimum IQ possibility even higher, perhaps as high as 104, His Holiness was leading the Church at a time when it seemed much like NAMBLA except less reputable. That thing with Father Maciel was just one of many decisions in which he had to expertly balance the benefits of a thriving sexual perversion society with the many costs. During His Holiness' reign, the blasphemers Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens were calling for His Holiness' arrest. And yet His Holiness never noticeably attempted to murder either of them. Would you be able to show such restraint? I know nobody who would not be happy to hasten the meeting between Richard Dawkins and his Maker.
There must be other reasons, but I think I wrote enough: Benedict XVI is deserving of this award. We have His Holiness to thank for our descendant's arrival toward Idiocracy, not only because he withheld the contributions of his own genes, but also because he barrenized other potential fertility leaders.
Yours,
Abel Dean
Philosopher and former child prodigy Saul Kripke. Considered one of the 20th century greatest philosophers and was indeed so brilliant that a B.S. in mathematics was the only academic qualification he ever got.
1/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/21/education/learning/saul-kripke-dead.html / https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/21/saul-kripke-obituary
No mention of children in any of the obituaries. His marriage with a British philosopher ended in divorce. He was notoriously inept in the social department.
3/ "Professor Kripke’s classic work, “Naming and Necessity,” first published in 1972 and drawn from three lectures he delivered at Princeton University in 1970 before he was 30, was considered one of the century’s most evocative philosophical books."
Regarding his childhood brilliance:
"The rabbi’s precocious son had taught himself ancient Hebrew by the age of 6, had finished reading Shakespeare’s complete works by 9 and published his first completeness theorem in modal logic when he was 18."
Olivier, looks like you've won! Send me your email address.
Awesome! My email address is: tweakers@fastmail.de.
1) Shinzo Abe. His wife, Akie Matsuzaki, had fertitily issues and never conceived.
Link:
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/07/11/asia/shinzo-abe-wife-akie-profile-japan-dst-intl-hnk/index.html
3) Improved foreign relations with the Western world, and military power. Charismatic and inspiring to the Japanese people-someone they desperately needed and will continue to.
Terry Teachout, who amongst other endeavors was a regular contributor as a cultural critic to the WSJ and to Commentary magazine, a biographer of figures including Louis Armstrong and H.L Menken, the librettist of Paul Moravec's opera "The Letter", and the playwright of "Satchmo at the Waldorf".
Obituaries make no mention of him having any children between his two marriages.
Steven Goldberg, chair of Soc. at CCNY for some twenty years until his retirement in 2008 and author of the most logical and intelligent book I have ever read (which he wrote before he turned thirty-two!), “The Inevitability of Patriarchy” (and its many sequels plus several other important books), his obituary mentions no issue: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/steven-goldberg-obituary?id=38467890.
Runner-ups: Jean-Marie Straub; Agustí Villaronga (gay so I assume no children); Hermann Nitsch (had an adopted son though), all great artists in their fields whose obituaries mention no issue either: https://www.artforum.com/news/hermann-nitsch-1938-2022-88395; https://www.screendaily.com/news/agusti-villaronga-black-bread-the-sea-director-dies-aged-69/5178372.article; https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/jean-marie-straub-obituary-french-filmmaker-who-reshaped-political-cinema.