Savants comes up in 3 chapters across 3 episodes of The Higherside Chats Free Show, from June 2019 to August 2025.
Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), Current Research and Academic Taboos
As a board member of IONS, Gober discusses current research into channeling, lucid dreaming, and energy healing. He mentions Dr. Diane Powell's work with nonverbal autistic savants who exhibit telepathic abilities. Gober notes that while public interest is growing, academic taboos remain strong, with researchers being told to hide their work to achieve tenure.
Birth of Modern Egyptology and the Savants
Napoleon took 500 "savants"—philosophers, scientists, and engineers—on his Egyptian expedition, a move unprecedented since Alexander the Great. These experts were treated with the same status as military officers and were responsible for the first systematic documentation of Egyptian ruins. This scientific contingent effectively founded the field of modern Egyptology through their rigorous study of ancient sites.
Engineering Savant Skills and the VPR Intelligence Model
Wayne McRoy discusses research into "autism without intellectual impairment," suggesting an agenda to engineer high-functioning individuals with specific savant skills. He explains the VPR (Verbal, Perceptual, and Image Rotational) model of intelligence, noting that both autistic individuals and artificial intelligence systems rely heavily on spatial and visual processing. This connection implies that AI is being modeled after autistic cognitive patterns to facilitate a transhumanist merger.
