Christopher Langan: Biography, Achievements & Lasting Legacy

Christopher Michael Langan (born March 25, 1952) is an American horse rancher and former bar bouncer, known for scoring highly on an IQ test that gained him entry to a high-IQ society and for being formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records high IQ section under the pseudonym of Eric Hart, alongside Marilyn vos Savant and Keith Raniere. The record was discontinued in 1990, as high IQs are considered too unreliable to document as world records. Langan was later a subject of Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Success, in which the journalist sought to understand why Langan's high IQ had not led to greater success in life – Langan has no degree, having twice dropped out of college. The book compared him with J. Robert Oppenheimer and focused on the influence of their respective environments on success.

Langan has spent many years working on his idea that he calls the "cognitive-theoretic model of the universe" which proposes that reality is a self-simulation. He self-published a book about it in 2002. In interviews and self-published writings, he has expressed beliefs in a variety of fringe proposals and conspiracy theories, including arguing in favor of eugenics to prevent "genomic degradation", opposition to interracial relationships, and support for the 9/11 truth movement. His political opinions have gained him a following among the alt-right.