I must confess that for as long as I can remember, I've felt felt a tinge of loneliness; ok, more than a tinge. It isn't because I don't have tons of friends--I mean, I don't, but I don't need tons. The few I've got are all I need because I've never been the type of person who judges herself on popularity (Thank Buddha, or else I'd have been morbidly depressed by now!) No, the truth is that I've almost always felt lonely for one reason: the sinking feeling that there are precious few people who view the world and those in it the way I do. For some reason, this matters a great deal to me. And this is the reason that I sometimes feel like I'm miles away even while surrounded by humans.
Often, when I'm feeling alone, I like to keep moving. Specifically, I like to go for walks. Don't ask me why. So this is the state of affairs that brought me to Center City Philly last Friday night. As I roamed Queen Village, Society Hill and Olde City after dark, I found myself replaying some of the interactions with various people I'd had up to that point in the day. When my mind settled on one of the day's conversations--I don't remember which--I distinctly recall feeling a rising tide of frustration. And while I'm sketchy on the details of the conversation which sparked these thoughts, I know precisely what frustrated me that evening, because it's something that consistently frustrates me to no end: the realization that most people seem to have no handle on what it means to be "intelligent." Not that I feel that I have a monopoly on the definition. It's just that I feel that people throw the word around like it's a hacky sack, with little to no thought about how their use of the term speaks volumes about what they value in terms of mental capacity.
So, you guessed it. I'd like you to weigh in on the subject. What does it mean to be "intelligent"? Who's the smartest person you've ever known? What is it that makes them so intelligent in your view? Be specific, cite examples and do your best to arrive at a definition. But DON'T consult a dictionary. If you absolutely can't resist the temptation to chew on someone else's thoughts on the subject, I'd like you to google quotations on intelligence and tell me if you come across one that sums up your views on the topic--or one that doesn't if playing devil's advocate is your thing (ahem, Reesey!). Share the quote with us and connect it with your response. Don't rush your thinking. Let it marinate...
I read a book once. Actually, I read a lot of books a lot of times. Some of these books were good. Others were not good. I have amassed a fantastic library in my brain. However, my library hails in comparison to the libraries of many of my peers. Of course, it isn’t the size of the collection that matters; it’s how you use it that determines intelligence. Even the vastness of the Library of Congress simply goes to waste if there is no one around to absorb the knowledge contained within. Conversely, the knowledge contained in one children’s book is almost inconsequential when shared with another. The most crucial aspect of intelligence is the ability to share it, whatever it is.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is a rather arbitrary concept of how the mind works, and is difficult to measure. Sure, we probe and test with measures like IQ to place an empirical value on intelligence but we can never really achieve an accurate numerical value. True intelligence has little to do with the sheer volume of things one knows, rather, the ability of that person to employ their knowledge. In short, intelligence resides in application. By that definition, I can name at least twenty people who have imparted their knowledge to me in a way that could never be replicated. Every person has their own brand of intelligence, and it is a gargantuan task to place one ahead of another. In some way, every person I’ve ever met has contributed to my own intelligence, and I thank every one of them for that.
Accordingly, intelligence is more than the ability to share knowledge. Intelligence is the converse of what most feel. Intelligence is not the blind quest to know everything; it is the acceptance of mortality and the awareness of your surroundings. Some would say that intelligence consists of “street-smarts.” Again, all the knowledge in the world means little if you cannot express and apply it. Self-awareness is a crucial aspect of intelligence as well. Before one can really come to grips with the world around them, he or she must come to grips with themselves. Introspection into one’s mind and the discerning of your basic moral code and principles are the major building blocks of intelligence.
Intelligence is more nebulous than most would like to believe. It is a phenomenon that cannot simply be measured. To be intelligent, one must first come to the realization of their morals. Self-awareness is most important. After self-realization, one can then begin the journey of knowledge. Here, learning burgeons into knowledge. Next comes the ability to share and apply your gained knowledge with others. Intelligence is truly measured by the affect that you impart on the knowledge of others, and your ability to employ the knowledge you’ve gained.
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ReplyDeleteIntelligence is such a vast construct, yet as a collection of people in an industrialized world, we try to transform it into one simple number. For some “genius” is defined by the number 2400 (SATs), or 140 (IQ), or 45 (MCAT), or even 180 (LSAT). But this is crap. Something as vast as intelligence cannot be scored by a single number, for there are many types of intelligence.
ReplyDeleteThe most common meaning when the word “intelligence” is used, refers to analytical intelligence. People who are analytically intelligence are proficient at abstract thinking and judgement, more commonly known as “book smart”. Too often, the people who are labeled as “intelligent” are complete nerds. Take any nerd to a dinner party, or even an interview, and see how “intelligent” they really are. That’s where practical intelligence comes into play. This is what people more commonly refer to as “street smarts”. People who are practically smart are experts at solving everyday problems on their toes. However, these people also tend to have a downfall. They can’t come up with any new ideas, they can only utilize what is given to them. This is where another intelligence comes into play, creative intelligence. Creative people excel at generating new ideas that are useful to them. However, these people tend to be sub-par at solving problems and struggle with abstract thinking.
As you can see, all three types of intelligence are independent of one another. Just because you may score high on intelligence tests, doesn’t mean you are at all practical or creative and vise versa. Most importantly, these three types of intelligence are largely Western based. For instance, in subsistence societies in Asia or Africa, the definition of intelligence completely changes.
Howard Gardner summed it up best in his theory of multiple intelligences, when he stated that there are eight distinct and fundamental types of intelligence, all independent of one another. They included Spatial, Linguistic, Logical, Bodily, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalistic.
So to give a definition of intelligence, I will have to make it extremely vague and broad to keep it relevant to multiple intelligences.
Intelligence: The ability to adapt the brain and body to become competent in a certain task or tasks.
According to this definition, it could be said that everyone is intelligent, and I would mostly support that statement. We all have such unique brains and experiences, that almost everyone is intelligent in their own way. Some people may be more skilled in areas than another, but this difference doesn’t constitute a difference in general intelligence. Intelligence is a vast construct, so there’s no reason why the definition and understanding of the idea cannot be just as vast.
All day, every day, I am surrounded by smarty pants. My classmates, my friends, my family. I just can’t seem to escape the intellect they exhume. And yet, out of all the people I’ve ever met, there are only two who I would consider to be truly intelligent, each for very different, very unexpected reasons. One of those people is a little girl who is yet to graduate from kindergarten, and the other is my older brother, who almost flunked high school.
ReplyDeleteWhile babysitting an adorable six-year-old girl last year, I realized that age and intelligence have almost no correlation. Despite our difference of about ten years, she managed to make a complete fool out of me. From the moment of our first interaction, I could feel her clever little eyes darting all over me, reading me inside and out. She began to pick up on my smallest idiosyncrasies, using them slyly to her advantage. To this day, I’m not exactly sure how, but in only four hours with her, she managed to manipulate me into getting just about everything she wanted.
This young girl may not possess a wealth of knowledge about American history. She may not have ever read any H.G. Wells or Nathaniel Hawthorne. Maybe she’s not familiar with the quadratic formula. But she’s just plain smart. A great chunk of intelligence is the ability of a person to apply their knowledge, however limited, to the world around them, ultimately getting what they want out of life. In this sense, she is more intelligent than any adult I’ve ever met.
My brother was a bit of a slacker in high school, seldom doing his homework, and not really caring about grades at all. He’s not the guy who graduated in the top ten percent of his class. He’s not the guy who aced every test, or brought home parent-approved grades. He’s the guy who sat in the back of the room chatting with his friends, or writing songs for his band, or sketching masterpieces in his algebra notebook. It may seem as though he failed the system, but the truth is that the system failed him. The work we are forced to do in high school and college stimulates only a small portion of the human mind, neglecting the rest. GPA doesn’t reflect creativity, or imagination, or lateral thinking. In most cases, it doesn’t even reflect intelligence. School doesn’t feed our brains. It starves them. This must have been the case for my brother, because although he struggled miserably throughout his sixteen years of education, he has flourished and thrived in every aspect of his life since. He is more well-rounded than anyone I’ve ever met. I know it’s not possible to know everything, but my brother comes pretty damn close. His fascination with books and music and art has contributed to a wealth of knowledge that he applies so efficiently to his daily life. It is a combination of an intense thirst for knowledge and a strong imagination that has resulted in, what I consider to be, pure intelligence.
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ReplyDeleteSo Bunje told us to try and avoid running to the nearest dictionary to look up any possible definitions of intelligence. But I just couldn't resist. And I'm glad I gave into this temptation, because it sparked something inside of me, something close to anger but not as severe. It changed potential writers block (because I'm not really good with the topic of "intelligence") to an actual blog response. What I found, quite consistently, was a disturbing definition of intelligence, at least disturbing to me anyway. Several sources defined it as "quick comprehension" or "quickness of understanding." And I just thought. And thought. Then slept on it, and thought some more. How could anyone ever define intelligence through the speed in which you learn or deliver something? Speed doesn't mark intelligence, it marks familiarity. Say a teacher writes a problem on the board, particularly seen with math, and sends two students up to complete this problem. Student A finishes much faster than Student B, he is the winner. He recieves a gold star, homework pass, and other riches that comes with this victory. But does this make him smarter than Student B? Of course not!
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is marked by the knowledge one obtains and how they demonstrate this knowledge, not by speed. And by knowledge I mean anything from a Calc problem to putting together a house; no piece of knowledge is more valuable than another. But all of this only comes from experience. The experience you share in your AP Chem class or AP Lang class. The experience you have of taking care of a sick relative. The experience of baking a cake. The experience of your first essay, test, quiz etc. With experience comes knowledge that may help you survive on your own, or may help you get into Harvard. It is what you take from these experiences and how you apply the knowledge you've learned that marks one's intelligence.
Student B couldn't quite finish his math problem in ten seconds but he has read an infinite amount of "How to" books and can put together anything. He does so with a slow and steady pace. He can even teach you how to do so without a single instruction manual in site. Student B is an extremely intelligent young man. In all of the different aspects of knowledge and intelligence speed does not once play a role. But the education system ignores this. They need results ASAP. Thus were given the gifted and talented programs, grades, class ranks etc. Everything that drives our minds crazy and gives us anxiety. And everything that has corrupted the value of education, and really means nothing to the true intelligence of Student A or Student B.
so Matt...who's the smartest person you've ever known?
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is often synonymous with words such as smart, and knowledgeable. Though, intelligence is often mistaken for meaning smart, its way beyond that. It’s possible that you can be smart and not intelligent.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many versions of what smart is. Some people are smart when it comes to math; others with the breeding cycle of narwhals, others with underwater basket weaving and others are smart when it comes the production of dentures. As a result, everyone is smart in their own sense. But as a society we base "smartness" off of GPA, IQ, class rank, SAT scores, where you went to college, what degree you hold, and so on. This method works when you're talking about people who are good at say…taking tests, but those who excel in other areas are also judged based on these factors, and are often deemed not as smart, because of their inability to perform well in a school based system. This backwards methodology causes a huge misconception about being smart. And this misconception leads to the backwards notion of what intelligence truly is. This led me to my definition of the term:
Intelligence is the ability to gather knowledge and information, and apply it to other aspects of life. It is the ability to make sense of the knowledge you receive. Being intelligent not only means that you're always open and willing to learn something new, but it also involves putting that knowledge to good use.
Intelligence is often seen as one-dimensional, but to me its way more than that. I think intelligence requires participation from the mind, body and soul. To truly be intelligent, you have to be willing to learn, to have the drive and motivation to want to know what goes on around you. Then, your mind must always be whirring with the information you receive. Analyzing, thinking, and applying it to real life, in hopes of using it. So many of us, including myself, learn new information, but we rarely think about what were learning. We just do it because we have to and we want to get good grades. This, I think, truly limits our mind and what were capable of achieving.
Going on this definition of intelligence, I'd have to say my uncle is the most intelligent person I know. In the past couple of years, he's gotten his masters, doctorate and moving on to get his PHD. The thing about my uncle is that he always likes to keep learning new information. Many adults, and even teens, after high school and college don't want to learn anything new, but he's always ravenous for new information. The one thing that sets him apart is that he uses this knowledge, and doesn't put it to waste. Whenever I see him, we have in-depth conversations about the newest and most interesting thing he's learnt. My uncle is always willing to share new information in hopes of bettering not just him, but others. Now, the funny thing about my uncle is that he's a math teacher, and all his degrees are in math. But, he's able to use all those outlandish math principles and concepts and apply them to real life. That skill is what truly makes him intelligent.
In the end, there will never be a finite definition of intelligence. Society may label things as indications for intelligence, but true, genuine intelligence is something that can't be measured.
Connie: His name rhymes with Cames Mownley. Most intelligent person I know.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of "intelligent" changes from person to person. Personally, I don't think there's a clear cut way of defining it. However, for the sake of this blog, I'll give a definition.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence: The amount of knowledge one person knows regarding a certain field, or in general, the world around him/her.
Anyone can be intelligent. No matter where you are in life, whether you're working as a cashier, or as a rocket scientist, you are intelligent. Not everyone can be a cashier, and not everyone can be a rocket scientist. You need to know what you're doing in each and every situation.
The smartest person I know: I've come across a few people that have just blown me away with the amount of knowledge they know. I have two people in mind that've done that.
1. The guy we all know and love, Mr. Daniel Weber. Mr. Weber is a teacher over at Davies and what made me choose him was an assembly we had at Davies. It was sort of like a game show, Brain Blast?, maybe. I forget what it was called, but, there were two teams at a time, with 3 students on each side, buzzing in answers to questions asked by the host. In one of the rounds, teachers were chosen to participate. Mr. Weber was one of those teachers, and answered every question without hesitation to random tidbits of information I never knew existed. To this day, I still consider him one of the smartest people I know.
2. From late July, to November, I was tutored for the SAT. His name is Dan Slatery and he's a retired English teacher. For over 20 years, he proctored the test, and knows it inside and out. While going over practice tests, there'd be some sort of question on Person A who lived from 1500-1560. I would be asked "Do you know who Person A is?" Quickly answering no, I'd then get a 5 minute explanation as to what that person did, why he/she was famous, and what the question was referring to. This happened at least 10 times each time being about another random person I had never heard of. Just being an SAT tutor for however many years says something about him.
I think most of you will find this quote funny.
"Intelligence is the ability to avoid doing work, yet getting the work done." - Linus Torvalds
I'm kind of against the expression "do more than what is required." Yes, people may think highly of you, but in the end, the result is always the same.
Kendall: I read every one of your blog posts. You're one of the few people on this blog (no offense anyone) that, when I read it, I can practically hear your voice saying your response. You definitely write out you talk.
I'll post two more replies tomorrow night.
Matt, you made some great points in your blog response. I entirely agree that self-awareness is one of the most important pieces of intelligence. Self actualization, or as you put it “self-realization” is critical to the growing of knowledge and intelligence. I wish I would have thought of such a great argument to put in my response.
ReplyDeleteRachel, your quote “A great chunk of intelligence is the ability of a person to apply their knowledge, however limited, to the world around them, ultimately getting what they want out of life” was beautifully put. The application of knowledge definitely corresponds with intelligence, and I couldn’t have put it better myself. You also (whether you realized it or not) made an argument about multiple intelligences, which is what most of my blog response focused on.
Kendall, your conceptual anecdote was an outstanding way to present your argument in the response. I’d agree that the notions of “speed” and “intelligence” should not easily be mixed. I would also agree with the fact that people are all intelligence in different aspects, and that our education system largely ignores this fact.
Many, many years ago, the main requirements for work were based on physical traits, not on intelligence. However, the shift from brawn to brains occurred after the industrialization period when businesses and trades began preferring smart, efficient workers rather than dumb workers willing to deal with the monotony of working on the assembly line. Now the United States has developed ways to determine intelligence. Standardized tests like the SATs and ACTs give colleges a generalization of the test taker’s intelligence.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is the application of knowledge to solve problems. But how does someone gain knowledge? Plato said “Knowledge is not given by the senses but acquired through them as reason organizes and makes sense out of that which is perceived.” Intelligence is not simply consuming facts and regurgitating them at people, but using the facts you consume for the benefit of yourself and others. Without the key elements of relevance and purpose, knowledge is merely empty calories. By using your knowledge to do things, you are bringing about your intelligence.
I don’t think that intelligence is restricted to academic settings. Any kind of cleverness, wit, cunning, talent, ability, or skill is the application of knowledge, making the classroom simply a training ground for intelligence. When schools teach and students listen, society creates people that know things they would not know otherwise. When people know things, they become more able to solve problems in situations (like how to say “no” when your friends are pressuring you to take drugs, which apparently never happens the way school teach it). And when the people can solve problems, they are more capable of running the country and businesses, making intelligence of upmost importance in today’s society.
Wit is my favorite application of knowledge. The way people play with words and ideas in funny ways is great to contentedly roll my eyes towards. The person in my life that I believe to be the most intelligent is most likely my brother. He is also hilarious. His type of humor is unconventional, especially since he uses his vast knowledge of the stuff in the world to create his puns, one-liners, cracks, gags, and generally silly comments. His application of knowledge doesn't really contribute to society the same way the light bulb did, but it does contribute to his interactions with people, which in itself is very important to me.
So, in our own special ways, we are all intelligent. Whether you are good at consolidating your thoughts into words, finding the area under a curve using integration, or making people pee their pants laughing, you are intelligent.
Kendall: I like how you mentioned that speed is not a factor in intelligence. How fast a person does work does not indicate their intelligence. Example: I think that Dan is more intelligent than me, but I always finish my Italian worksheets faster than him. That's just because I rush through them and don't check my answers, which is the smart thing to do.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is the downfall of the nation. I don’t often find myself concerned with “intelligence.” Everyone is good at their own thing. This probably sounds a bit hypocritical of me seeing that I am an AP student. You have to understand, though, that I don’t come from a formally educated family. I come from a family that actually has little to no education at all. That being said, intelligence cannot be summed up in just one short little definition and end there. There are different types of smarts (not just book smarts and street smarts.) To some people intelligence is the ability to solve problems or understand presented information. To me intelligence is the ability and willingness to learn new information. Whether that is new painting techniques or figuring out how to change engine oil. Having a degree from Harvard or Stanford makes a person intelligent in some ways, but underdeveloped in others.
ReplyDeleteI don’t mean that being an Oxford graduate is a bad thing; it just isn’t the definitive answer to what intelligence is. People, even I, say that they learn something new every day. Retaining useless information like the fact that giraffes have no vocal chords isn’t going to stick with every person that hears it, unless they want it to. It’s those people who remember it or recognize it in the future that I consider intelligent. The word “intelligence” has a connotation to be associated with people in AP or people who have high paying jobs. That’s bullshit. Every person, regardless of most disabilities, has the ability to grow and learn every day of their lives.
So who then is the most intelligent person I know? My dad’s 80 year old friend Richard, no comparison. His information storage center in his brain is so massive I can’t fathom it. He knows the most useful and the most useless information I’ve ever heard. Over the summer he lent me a copy of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and wished to have an in depth conversation with me about its contents. He has gone to college for the majority of his life, but he refuses to graduate. If I’m not mistaking, he had a 3.9 at Harvard Law, but wouldn’t take his Bar.
Instead of making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and living a fanciful life he chose to live simple. For years he worked with my dad replacing irrigation systems. Now, he works at a locally owned bookshop cleaning. But he never stopped learning. His passion for knowledge is unbelievable. He can explain the string theory while replacing a roof. I wish that I could once again find that strong of a zeal for education that I had as a child, growing up with him around. People are so concerned with grades and class rank and what college you go to. In the end it’s what you do with yourself that matters; and if you continue to expand your mind, you’ll never doubt yourself for a moment.
Nick T: I do remember that game show and distinctly remember Mr. Weber answering the most random questions. I never had him as a teacher, but I wish that I did have that chance. Also, your quote was funny, but I don’t know if I necessarily agree with it. I think that intelligence can come easily to some, but others need to work hard. It depends on the person! I also like the analogy between the rocket scientist and the cashier!
ReplyDeleteKendall: Intelligence shouldn’t be measured by speed. To me, it shouldn’t be measured at all. Everyone learns and comprehends at their own levels. A child with a mental disorder shouldn’t be labeled as ‘unintelligent’ just because they need extra time or different approaches to learn. Your blogs are always intriguing and I really enjoy reading them!
George: I am glad that you explained the different types of intelligence. There are so many niches that people could fit into. Just because you can’t relay quantum mechanics doesn’t mean you aren’t ‘smart.’ You did a good job at explaining just how broad “intelligence” really is!
The first thing I realized when reading this week’s topic is that it’s structured exactly like last week’s. “Love” and “intelligence” are both extremely subjective terms that can be defined in infinitely many ways.
ReplyDelete“Intelligence” has been defined and measured in probably hundreds or thousands of ways throughout history. Some of the more common definitions include the capacity to learn information, the ability to apply knowledge, and the tendency to be self-aware. Most interpretations of the word hold some truth to it. Intelligence is definitely a measure of something, but figuring out what exactly it measures is the problem. Intelligence is almost always associated with some form mental ability. I don’t think anyone has concluded that intelligence is measured by how physically strong you are, so that can be ruled out. But most of the definitions I’ve read contribute to what I perceive as “intelligence.”
I think that intelligence can be a measure of many different things, which would mean there are different kinds of intelligences. Overall intelligence is some measure of mental ability, but this definition cannot suffice in measuring someone. People are skilled in different areas because of the way their brains formed during their inception. I wouldn’t say a “left-brained” person is more intelligent than a “right-brained” person only because he can solve complex differential equations. The latter may be able to produce a beautiful piece of art that the former could not even dream of. Some people are strongly attuned to a specific mental ability, while few might be strongly attuned to many. I take stock in the way James defined a genius because the ability to innovate is critical, and many of these “geniuses” have a general acumen for mental abilities. I, for one, am not a genius, but I do consider myself intelligent. Placing number 6 in my class may seem like quite a feat to many, but this doesn’t mean I’m intelligent. I have friends with lower class ranks than me who I consider more intelligent than me. Reaching this feat is in part due to my intelligence, but I consider myself a good student. Being intelligent and being a good student are entirely different, and I’m more of the latter than the former.
One thing missing from many of the interpretations that I’ve read is the mention of the desire to learn. To me, this is huge. If one is skilled in an area, he would be intelligent to learn more about it, experiment with it, or innovate without boundaries. A Christian man once told me that to not have the desire to learn is a sin. I can agree with that. With the short amount of time we all have on Earth, we should be spending our time improving upon ourselves. One who realizes this is intelligent in my eyes. I could take George’s route and say that I’m the most intelligent person I know, but perhaps I’ll think of someone else. After thinking it over I decided that I’m undecided, but I will say that my friends are the most intelligent people I know. I don’t think one of them is more intelligent than the others because, like I said before, they are all intelligent in their own ways. A good quote I found that sums up my thoughts is:
“The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more.” –Ed Parker
One more note about today’s class discussion: I’ve always thought of “intelligent” and “smart” as synonyms of each other. People may define them differently but I’ve always just used the word “smart” when I felt too lazy to say intelligence, or if I want to say someone is “more intelligent” I simply say “smarter.”
Intelligence I believe is innate. I think we are born with a special capacity to learn, apply, solve, conceptualize, and understand. These five factors I believe are indicative of intelligence. The ability to learn applies not only to what an individual can process, but what they can recognize. Basically this is the ability to correct mistakes and errors previously made. The ability to apply is to take what one learns and recognizes, and to use it in an effective manner to accomplish a feat of some sort. To solve is to take application to a whole new level; essentially it is upper echelon thinking and application of knowledge and ideas to come to a resolution of a critical problem. To conceptualize (which is where the whole innate ability factor stems from) is to see things in a different way. To expound upon that, conceptualization is almost like seeing a blueprint of a problem or an idea in one’s mind. But it is more than that. These blueprints are different than what is expected, they are unique visualizations of a problem; it’s an abstract masterpiece lit up in the inner workings of one’s cranial complex. It’s just something one cannot teach. Understanding is closely yoked to conceptualization in that a deep understanding of an idea or process is required for complex conceptualization. But in a broader sense, understanding is a measure of aptitude and competence for an individual. This is the ability to take some bit of information thrown at us, and in turn catch it and grasp it firmly. In this process we study the material and critically think about what it means and why it is important. The “why” is always the most important part because it indicates an interest and yearning to go beyond the conventional visualization of the matter at hand.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, one may simply look at a block of wood and think nothing of it, while an intelligent individual might see beyond the mundane and conventional. A person intelligent in the artistic sphere might see a wooden sculpture slowly being chipped away, whereas an individual intelligent in a mathematical or scientific sphere might see a practical use for the block, perhaps as a component of some sort of contraption. This brings forward another aspect of intelligence: variance. Intelligent people come in all forms with all sorts of specializations. There are music and art prodigies, there are mathematical/scientific geniuses, there are philosophical masterminds. The list and degree of variance is vast to say the least. One can be intelligent in one way and be average in another. This leads me to believe that there are no purely intelligent people, just individuals with a unique and extraordinary capacity to excel and follow those five traits I listed in a specific arena of thinking. I believe that just about sums up my definition for being intelligent. I would select a quote but I believe what I said is sufficient of my views. Also what is the fun in using some other person’s words for a blog discussing intelligence? I prefer my brain for this one, although I enjoy a good quote now and again.
So, who is the smartest person I know? I think I can make a strong case for saying I don’t know anyone truly intelligent. At least I haven’t seen enough evidence to support claiming anyone intelligent. I feel as though this comes from a lack of opportunity, especially in the school system, wherein conceptual learning and understanding often seems to take the backseat to memorization and standardized testing. If there is one thing most schools are lacking, it is the implication of practical problem solving projects on a regular basis. I guess I don’t know any politicians or educational officials intelligent enough to analyze and correct the problem. This isn’t a knock to teachers as some of them express a yearning to apply critical thinking activities, but are often stifled by the hands of the administration and educational system. In general I feel as though most of if not all of us have the capability to be intelligent in some aspect. We just might not have had the chance to display or grow into it.
ReplyDeleteTom: I like how you mention that intelligence isn’t restricted to academic settings. As a society, we focus a lot of education, and if you suffer in school, lots of people are quick to judge, thinking that you’re not intelligent.
ReplyDeleteJanel: I really enjoyed your blog! Perhaps the thing that I liked the most was when you said “Having a degree from Harvard or Stanford makes a person intelligent in some ways, but underdeveloped in others.” I think your definition of what intelligence is, is truly spot on.
Intelligence is something I’ve only occasionally thought about. And I’ve probably only thought about it once without any kind of prompt from someone else. And it always comes back to problem-solving skills. What makes someone smart? The ability to solve problems with the tools they’re given. Whether those be mental tools to solve math problems, or physical tools to solve engine problems, they’re still problem solving. But what about people who just know things, like facts and trivia? Well, they could be considered knowledgeable. Of course, this knowledge can be applied to problem solving. How the hell do I fit in with these people I don’t know at this party full of businessmen? Well, I bring up that recipe I know offhand about using the blood of the innocent and cute puppies to make a delicious stew. Because businessmen are always looking for new, exotic recipes, right?
ReplyDeleteSo who was the greatest problem solver ever? Well, we’d have to go into categories. What are the greatest language (both languages and literature stuff) problems ever? Well, the actual words and languages. So I’d put both the people who invented the spoken and the written language. There’s also math. We can most likely thank the Egyptians for solving the counting problem, Euclid for the geometry problem (how the hell else do we find the angle of anything?), Leibniz and Newton for calculus, and so on and so forth. We can move on to another category if you’d like, but I think we all get the point. There are a lot of different problem solvers that did wonderful things for all of us.
So can there really be the best problem solver? There are too many problems that have been solved, very important problems, that it’s hard to pick one. How can we say that the ability to count and perform the basic functions of math is any more important than the ability to write down what you’re thinking? Both have incredible amounts of applications in today’s world, and life without either would be extremely primitive.
Another thing. If my definition is the ability to solve problems, then there must be someone with the most incredible ability to solve problems who doesn’t bother solving any. They’d be like the dragon in the Hobbit, or all dragons in general. All that wealth, stored up somewhere, is there just to shine and look pretty for its collector. And if I’ve never seen this hoard of treasure the dragon has, then how am I supposed to know if it’s there or not? Many of us are given the opportunity to show our treasure, and gladly take it, but there must be some who enjoy their treasure too much to share its existence. And they keep it locked up, for none to see. How can I pick the smartest person I know personally (if that’s what the question is truly asking for) if I don’t know everyone’s true intelligence?
So everyone’s a dragon. Everyone has their own treasure. The size of our treasure indicates the intelligence of us dragons. Some dragons don’t have as much treasure, and some dragons have plenty but don’t flaunt it. And we can all fly and breathe fire and collect as much treasure as we damn well please, because we’re dragons. Now go out, burn some villages, and collect as much treasure as you can. There's always more to be found.
As most of you all know, I have a large passion for music. I'm not sure what it is, but music is just so interesting to me. I feel like you can find many things in music. And, you guessed it, intelligence falls into that category. I feel like people who have the ability to sing a song, and get people to listen to it over and over almost as if were a ritual shows incredible amounts of intelligence. I mean, think about it, to know what people want to hear, to know how to make all of these different instruments work together to create that sound, to know how to play those instruments, to know how to make new rhyme schemes, to come up with different lyrics for every song you make. So is what I'm saying essentially saying intelligence is "to know"? Not necessarily.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe intelligence is the vast knowledge, or richness more so, in a particular field that you are interested in. For example, I wouldn't call you unintelligent if you were a english teacher and say, didn't have the best math skills. However, I would call you unintelligent if you were to tell me you love baseball and you think it is amazing, but you know none of the rules. So what I'm really saying is that intelligence is what you want it to be. If you want to be intelligent, then just get really well-learned in one area. No, that can't be right.
Perhaps, if you get really well-learned in one area, but you are well-rounded enough to figure other things out using other skills. In other words, you learn from your mistakes, and it helps your overall knowledge. This way, the more experience you have, the more intelligent you are.
Ok, i think that's it. An intelligent person is one who has a lot of knowledge in one area, but is well rounded in others, and has many life experiences from which to learn from. Another thing I'd like to add is the ability and willingness to learn, because you can't be close-minded and intelligent in my mind. But maybe I'm being close-minded. Yeah, think about that.
So, a person with all of those skills down to a T had to be my grandpop. He always seemed to have an answer to everything. He knew how to solve math problems, he knew how to solve life problems, and he knew how I felt a lot of the time. His "special subject" could be known as family, I guess. He really understood how to make everyone laugh, get together, and have a great time. He had more life experience than anyone I knew. He was such an amazing communicator to top it all off. Seeing that you didn't know my grandpop, you don't really understand how this could be funny to me. A lot of people saw my grandpop as dumb, but if you go through all of my characteristics of intelligence, it is easy to see that he was the most intelligent man I have ever met.
Intelligence can be a touchy subject. People always take it as an insult when it is said that they are not intelligent. However, I feel that if people say that I'm not intelligent, I will use it to ADD to my intelligence. I will use that experience, fix what was wrong, and in turn become more intelligent and add to my wealth of knowledge. Honestly, I feel the only way to be intelligent is to have the willingness to learn, that is key. Without it, that is the only true time I will find someone to be unintelligent .
Matt: YES! YES, YES, YES, YES, YES! That is what I wanted to say, but I'm not sure if my message was conveyed properly or not. The ability to use your knowledge, that is intelligence. It doesn't matter how much you know, but how well you use what you know. That is perfect! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGeorge: I liked how you used numbers to show what intelligence is not. You're absolutely right, it is crap. Numbers mean nothing in my opinion. I actually think some of the most intelligent people get bad grades on their SATs and whatever other dumb tests the world makes you take. Numbers mean absolutely nothing if you ask me. Too bad I have no say.
Nick: "Not everyone can be a cashier, and not everyone can be a rocket scientist. You need to know what you're doing in each and every situation." This is an interesting statement from you, because I genuinely agree with it. People always assume that because someone has a bad job, they are unintelligent. Preposterous. You are absolutely correct sir.
Bobby: I understand and agree with a lot of what you're saying in your post, ("Honestly, I feel the only way to be intelligent is to have the willingness to learn" )but when you said that people need to be well-rounded to be intelligent, I sort of stopped agreeing. I just don't think that being "well-rounded" makes you more intelligent, but rather how you apply the knowledge you have. Maybe, if you described what you meant by well-rounded....?
ReplyDeleteSo this one time I was at Atlantic City High School. It was for an Academic Team competition last year because I was still stuck in Mr. Sopuch’s trap. Well anyway, we were sitting there with a team filled with math nerds. We’re a bunch of kids filled with knowledge of math and science, and even some war history. Any question that related to a category that we were good at we would get right. Everyone else in the room (like us) would let out a healthy “hoorah” when they would get a science question right and whenever they read an arts question there would be a huge sigh in the room.
ReplyDeleteThen it hit me, intelligence isn’t based on how fantastic you are in one particular area. Problem solving won’t cut it. Intelligence is found in how well-rounded someone is. I am sorry to all of you who are reading this blog post. None of you are intelligent. No worries though, I’m not either. Now that I’ve just wrecked your hopes and dreams (sarcasm my friends, sarcasm) I am here to tell you that it is not too late. You don’t have to go your whole life without being intelligent. You can become intelligent in three easy steps.
Read- Yeah people say it a thousand times, but when you only have so much time in your life to do only so much to better yourself, reading becomes a gateway to the universe.
Travel-There’s only one thing in the world that can offer you the vastness of the world more than books and that’s traveling. Ralph Waldo Emerson would be the first person to say that there are things in the world that you can’t learn from the comfort of your own home. Through traveling you can learn about culture, history, and (most importantly) yourself.
Try new things- That’s pretty self explanatory, you learn through doing not just by seeing and reading.
That beinb said, I don’t know if I really know someone who is intelligent. My definition for it requires so much hard work to obtain that I haven’t really met anyone who completely rose to the challenge. The closest people that I have met towards the definition are probably my dad and a kid named Wyatt that I went to a camp to once. Both of them have experienced so many things in the world that they can tell you about from the arts, sports, and various other things. So I guess that my challenge for all fo you lang kids is for you guys to give yourself the chance to go out into the world and try new things so you can become intelligent.
The beginning of this blog had me veering in a totally different direction! It surprises me that as a teacher, surrounded by deep thinkers and avid day dreamers, you would feel so intellectually isolated. When considering my views of the world, I often feel a strong disconnect from other people, even my best friends. But I’m comforted in the fact that we all having differing perceptions, and that is where all these definitions of “intelligent” come from, it’s where all these diverse minds come from.
ReplyDeleteI’ll start this simply; I do NOT think that intelligence is even slightly connected with one’s abundance of facts (Who was the first president to bring a snake in the White House? WHO CARES?). I don’t believe that grades can measure intelligence. I don’t believe that the #1 ranked student in our class, or in any class for that matter, can truly be deemed “intelligent” based on that, and only that. Intelligence is somewhat misused, in my opinion. We relate it to grades, classes, SAT scores. Those things matter, do not get me wrong, but they are not the sole deciders of intelligence, and there is a broader division that they fit in.
Intelligence is the ability to analyze the world with eyes wide open. Now, that sounds very vague and metaphoric so I’ll try to flatten it out…an intelligent person has the capacity to understand everything that is around them. There are specific qualities that I have found in intelligent people; cleverness, tactfulness, open-mindedness (this is HUGE), awareness, the capability of crafting a good joke, etc. The last one may seem petty – but intelligence is all about perception, and joke-crafting rests on perception. A quote that somewhat mirrors my philosophy of intelligence is one by Dr. Carl Sagan; “Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used.” I’m often frustrated by people who estimate intelligence by GPA and class rank (i.e everyone who calls us langers “smart kids” who take “smart classes”). I am by no means questioning or demeaning anybody’s intelligence here, but I truly believe that to succeed in an AP level class, all it really takes is time, motivation, and effort. And that is a grueling process, in which one gains knowledge along the way, but that does not guarantee intelligence.
It’s funny Bunje, because we were sort of talking about this yesterday…I believe that my brother, Matt, is the smartest person I have ever known. He did not graduate in the top ten, he did not score perfect on his SAT, but it is his understanding of the world and “social versatility” so-to-speak, that speak volumes about his intelligence. I’ve always admired him, partly because he has always seemed to be one step ahead of me. Ever since his first game boy color, he has been a fervid “video gamer”. I used to watch him play game cube games for hours on end, as he mastered puzzles in minutes, unraveled riddles without blinking. He’s a good talker, and that would always astonish me too. He could make anybody like him, with his quick wit. With all this being said, he drives me absolutely INSANE, but he is the most intelligent person I’ve ever known. He understands the chemistry of life, and can explain what is around him. THAT is intelligence. There is no numerical proof behind his brain, nor facts or figures to estimate the depth of his knowledge. Even if there were, it wouldn’t prove to me his intelligence better than his other attributes.
In conclusion, intelligence is the mastery of perception; it is the ability to see all that is around you and understand WHY.
Bobby: I couldn’t agree with you more. I never thought of the whole music thing before, but it really does take a lot of intelligence in order to be successful with music.
ReplyDeleteNick: I am completely and genuinely proud of you for getting the blog done early. And though I disagree with a lot of your statement, I oddly do believe that you don’t have to be someone who does more work than is needed of them in order to be intelligent. If you aren’t doing work for someone else you typically end up doing things for you, that in the end furthers you actual intelligence and knowledge of thee world around you as you remember more of what you want to learn than what you don’t want to learn.
Rachel: Doesn’t the school system just suck? I mean, no offense to teachers or anything, but what I need to learn for the real world has never been showed to me in a classroom during the school day. If I remember correctly, your brother was a drama kid. I have to say that the most important things I’ve learned in life came from being in drama, the creative spark will put me where I want to be in life, not all the worthless knowledge that I will never touch again.
Matt : I did not mean to call you out at allll, So I hope you read this :/. Tell me tomorrow if you did! I was very intrigued by your post and therefore was very curious as to who your person would be! Your whole "Intelligence resides in application" bit was very interesting, and I agree completely.
ReplyDeleteNick : OKAY, so agreeing to why you chose Mr. Weber as the most intelligent person you know would totally contradict the whole point of my blog, so I don't. Well I do, sort of. I remember being just as shocked by his knowledge of all that material in "brain blast", the funniest part is that I was his partner! I didn't buzz in on one question, basically because he did all the work for me. I would agree that he is one of the smartest people I have ever known because of reasons beyond that, however. Instead of being a teacher who simply delivered material and forced us to learn, he was the first teacher to greatly influence me to read. The ability to inspire others is another attribute of intelligence, I might add.
Nyamekye: At first, I was disagreeing with your definition entirely. That is, until I read the "apply it to other aspects of life" and "the ability to make sense of it" parts. Fact recall means absolutely nothing if you cannot thoroughly understand what it is that you "know"..plus how can you really KNOW something if you don't fully understand it? know-ledge? yep? yeah. :o)
In my family, I’m considered the “smart” one. In retrospect, I’m really not. I mean, getting decent grades isn’t indicative of true intelligence. Intelligent people, I feel, are knowledgeable and can effectively pass on said knowledge. They’re people who can keep their composure even under the most debilitating amounts of stress and can handle most any situation swiftly and easily. I feel the combination (for lack of a better term) of street- and book-smarts is what makes one truly intelligent. It’s not enough to know how to give CPR; one must also have the ability to actually save a life.
ReplyDeleteFor this reason, the smartest person I know is my cousin, Rachel. She’s a junior in college with her whole life planned out step-by-step. She knows exactly where she’s going, how she’s going to get there, and how long it’s going to take her. She’s got her head on straight and is always willing to lend a helping hand. She went to Holy Spirit, so when I was confirmed into my church way back in eighth grade, she was my mentor. She helped me write the required essay about saints and all the random crap I never bothered learning while in CCD, and was patient with me (I don’t know HOW) throughout. She’s kind of my idol. She’s so well-rounded – played softball in high school, was in the top 10% of her class, managed a steady relationship for two years, and kept a job on top of it all. Maybe not ALL of that necessarily means she’s intelligent, but I look up to her. She carries herself so well, I really don’t understand how. She knows so much for being so young, she’s willing to share what she knows with her younger sister and I – whether it be college advice or boy advice – and she’s always in control of herself. Yeah, she jokes around (probably more than anyone I know), but once the comedian Rachel needs to go on vacation, you’d never know she even has a sense of humor. When our grandmom was in the hospital over the summer, Rach would come to visit joke around with Grandma, make her feel more comfortable. But, when she didn’t recognize her own kids (let alone her grandkids), a side of my cousin came out that seldom does. She came after work every day and zealously exercised Grandma’s mind, helping her with everything from colors and shapes to names and faces to speech and writing. Never once though did I see Rachel show any signs of distress or panic, even when the rest of us were worried sick that Grandma may never get better. She just kept working at it, kind of obsessively, to tell you the truth. Now, Grandma’s back to her old self. You can have a full-fledged conversation with her now as if she never lost her memory. She’s back to signing all our cards instead of having Grandpa do it. She even cooked Christmas dinner! But, through all that, Rachel’s character really shined through. She showed the whole family that she knew exactly what to do in a situation like this and was the only one who did it as fervently and instinctively as she did.
That, my friends, is what I think intelligence is. It’s being able to teach and apply all that you know, and not come off as a cocky jerkfacehead. As Henri Frederic Amiel said, “Man becomes man only by his intelligence, but he is man only by his heart.” You can be smart as hell and never be intelligent because you hoard all the knowledge for yourself. Sharing the wealth is, what I believe, a crucial part of being a truly intelligent person.
Knowledge: The ability to retain numerous facts and detail them.
ReplyDeleteA person on Jeopardy is knowledgeable.
Smartness: The ability to function and get what you want out of society.
It is smart to have a good work ethic.
Intelligence: The ability to ponder a problem or situation.
Intelligence involves a deeper understanding of the world.
Wisdom: The ability to share intelligence with other people.
Intelligence seeps from the wise old man.
Schuyler, you’re welcome for my splitting this up nicely for you. But let’s face it; you’ll think I’m completely wrong no matter how I type this.
So the bare bones of it is:
-Knowledge is really good for trivia.
-To be smart is to try hard, because trying hard is a smart action.
-To be smart, you must acquire knowledge.
-I consider anyone who does well in school to be smart.
-Being knowledgeable doesn’t make you smart. You have to apply the knowledge.
-Intelligence doesn’t necessitate knowledge, just the ability to think.
-Intelligent people are often not “smart” and not prone to do work. Einstein was a lousy student.
-Wise people are intelligence people, but not all intelligent people are wise.
Intelligence is the ability to solve, the ability to wonder, the ability to contemplate. It’s different than being smart. Nearly anybody could work to be smart. Intelligence is more like depth to me. I’m outrageously envious of the truly intelligent. Intelligence can be read on a face, a silent face with no emotion. There’s just this depth in an intelligent person’s eyes. Anyone could read the thoughts churning as they unravel everything that is before them.
This isn’t to say that an intelligent person looks this way all the time. It’s positively true that there are separate kinds of intelligences. The look can be found on a major league baseball batter as they unravel the body language of the pitcher. It can be found in the eyes of singer unraveling the melodies, in the eye of the velociraptor opening a door (oh who would I be without my Jurassic Park reference?), in the inquisitive child staring down a vicious math problem. I know several intelligent people. They are a worldly intelligent. Still, I think everybody is in some aspect intelligent. But the most intelligent person I know has to be my father, and it’s not simply because we agree on so much. He just, he understands things. Maybe he just understands that he doesn’t need to understand them.
When it comes right down to it, intelligence is the ability to unravel, the ability to apply, the ability to question. Intelligence is depth. I will always envy those who can think better than I can, because, “I think therefore I am.” Intelligence requires such a depth of thought. I’m really at a loss as how to properly convey what intelligence is. It’s one of those indescribable things, but then again, isn’t that what the word is for? It’s just a look in the eye really. You know intelligence when you see it.
Janel: I couldn’t agree more that personal growth is what matters in the end. Sometimes I see class rank as a sort of personal growth, but not really the important kind. I’d much rather grow as a person than be rich. I would adore Richard if I met him, I’m sure of it. Our definitions are certainly different, but I think yours is just as correct as any other definition (except for the normal definition of intelligence, that is certainly bullshit).
ReplyDeleteNyamekye: I like your whole theory on application. It really is hard to apply most school-related concepts to life. School truly is more for a measure of work ethic. It doesn’t teach what really matters, often. But to be able to apply school knowledge to real life? Man, that’s some serious application and intelligence, especially with math.
Dan: Thank you for saying that you’re intelligent! Some of these definitions are a little harsh. I think everybody who is answering this blog post is intelligent if only because they’re contemplating what it means to be intelligent. None of us are so extraordinarily intelligent that we could be considered geniuses, sure, but I think we’re all intelligent. Every definition is right in its own way but to say that nobody is intelligent seems a tad too much.
So I'm seeing a lot of posts as I skim down the page talking about how SAT scores and class rank and success in school have nothing to do with intelligence. I'm here to call BS on all of you. Okay, that's a little harsh and it may seem a little like I'm protecting my interests as someone who fits that classical description of intelligence, but please read on as I plan to thoroughly explain myself.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I should define intelligence, intelligence is exactly what it's been called before you all came along with your iconoclastic visions of this ideal. f course, I think we can hardly call that vision iconoclastic as it's clearly in the majority among the enlightened and has been for a while, Einstein thought so when he said that, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” The viewpoint is neither new nor original. (Again with the harshness, I really can't rationalize all this anger because I'm actually in a pretty good mood right now). Anyway, intelligence is that particular set of skills that allow one to succeed in school, games of academia and a small portion of the work world. It includes the ability to learn and store knowledge, problem solving skills and grace under pressure (usually test pressure.)
Here's the real caveat of my argument, please allow me to present it before you present me with all your examples of wonderful and successful people that performed poorly in school. Intelligence by itself doesn't mean shit. In reality it's just a made up conglomeration of skills that lead to success at a small number of tasks, successes that are admirable in schools.
I'll write it again so you don't miss it:
Intelligence by itself DOESN'T MEAN SHIT.
A lot of the definitions for intelligence I see include things like creativity, “street-smarts”, social skills, artistic prowess, and “imagination” in Einstein's case. I prefer not to lump these things in with intelligence, because I feel that they are far more admirable and useful skills than intelligence could ever be. Which leads me to my next conclusion:
Intelligence has very little to do with success. The reason all these definitions of intelligence have been expanded to include other vital skills is because there are so many examples of successful people that did not fit the classical definition of intelligence. As a society we thought, “If intelligence is so important, why are so many people without educations and classical intelligence successful?” Instead of turning to the more obvious answer, intelligence is less important than we thought, the whole definition of intelligence was changed to jam a lot of other skills into it. I object to this, because I think it bastardizes those other skills.
As for the smartest person I've ever known, it's clearly my brother. Andrew, some of you know, is a University of Pennsylvania graduate with a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Penn and was Salutatorian at Oakcrest, he is a member of some Engineering honor societies and is currently pursuing a doctorate at Cal-Berkeley. My brother has a spotless academic record, having conversations with him about any of his fields of expertise is a dwarfing experience. Not only does he know more than you do, it is clear that he understands more than you do. One day he's going to make an insane amount of money. However, that day will never come until he decides what the hell he wants to do with his life, and this is where we see how useless intelligence is on its own. What my brother has in IQ, he lacks in social skills and, I believe, self-confidence. (I'm not a freaking psychologist, okay?) By itself, his intelligence is astounding, but it's worthless until his other skills develop past the point where they hinder his intellect.
James, I loved basically your whole blog. I completely agree with what your saying about intelligences being a combination of things, IQ and SAT score not being the most important. But honestly I chose to rad your blog because you had SHIT in capital letters.
ReplyDeleteMikey G: You're a meanie head. :P However, I do agree with reading and experience being important factors in making people more intelligent though. By increasing the amount of stuff you know, the more you can apply what you know into your life.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence nowadays in our society is measured through IQ tests, SAT scores, test scores, what college you go to, etc. Our academic system is the basis for intelligence. And I don’t agree with it at all. This is not to undermine the abilities all of those people have who graduated from Harvard or Yale. But we often assume that if one person got into a more prestigious college and has a higher class rank than someone else, they are automatically the smarter person. Who says you can’t be intelligent and not go to an Ivy League? People are very quick to judge if someone doesn’t perform well in school or on tests. However, if you don’t do well, you may acquire other abilities that the people who do well in school don’t have. This could include working as a cashier or other menial job. This could probably give you a significant amount of social skills that other people take so much longer to acquire. There’s a difference between being a good student and intelligent. A lot of us can get by school pretty easily just by learning new information, studying, and getting a good grade on a test. And then we move on. That is the problem with basing intelligence off of academics. We can’t apply a lot of the knowledge we gain. Most tests are just a measure of how much information you’ve retained. And usually, we forget most of the stuff we learn anyways. So intelligence is more that just doing well in school. And so this brings me to my definition of intelligence.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is the desire to learn new information and gain new knowledge. Intelligence is applying that knowledge to different problems and whatever else life throws at you. This includes critically thinking about a problem and solving it with the knowledge you have. It’s the ability to conceptualize and formulate a solution that can serve you well. There are multifarious forms of intelligence. I don’t believe that you have to be well rounded to be intelligent. Someone could be strong and knowledgeable in applying math/science concepts but not necessarily the best at rhetoric or writing a coherent essay. Someone could be a highly respected and talented musician/composer, but not know a thing about Einstein’s theory of relativity. I really think that this is what drives people and society today. People have different areas of expertise and a passion for learning new information specific to that expertise. To have a desire and a passion to learn new information is key in intelligence. You may think you already know everything already, but you don’t. No one does. Everyone learns something new every single day whether we realize it or not. I’m pretty sure this is why reading is so important. We’re constantly acquiring new information and hopefully applying it to different problems we come across in life. I’m not sure if I can say for sure who is the most intelligent person I know. My cousin told me a story once about a kid that moved around a lot in his life. He had to make friends pretty quickly and therefore his social skills and also observational skills developed quickly. He can pretty much know what you’re thinking and your personality just by observing your gestures and expressions. This is how he made new friends. I can’t remember the whole story my cousin told me and there’s definitely a lot more to this guy, but regardless I would say this kid is intelligent.
James: If you didn't rewrite that sentence, I seriously would not have seen it, which would have been unfortunate because it was important. I also hope that you will find something to do that you can astound your brother by jibber-jabbering at him with convoluted lingo and doublespeak and indirect jargon. I think you can do it. And since he was ONLY salutatorian, you can have an even more perfect scholastic record!
ReplyDeleteNick T.: Don't you think that there's a little bit more to being intelligent than just knowing things? Don't get me wrong, that's a huge part of it! You really can't be intelligent if you don't know things but, just knowing stuff about a particular subject doesn't seem to really do the word justice. How one applies their knowledge or what they do with it (I guess that's kind of the same thing, but whatever) is HUGE in the grand scheme of things! I mean, where would we be if all the great minds of the world kept their knowledge to themselves? We wouldn't have ANYTHING. We'd still be primitive cavemen drawing animals on walls.
ReplyDeleteDan: I like that you give credit to both left- and right-brained people. I mean, I'm not right-brained, but I hate the notion that people who create beautiful and lasting works of art -- whether it's a composition or a painting -- aren't as intelligent as those who propose theories and come up with intricate and nearly impossible-to-understand equations. I just like that you give the creative people the props they deserve. :)
Connie: Everything in your blog, I can not only hear you saying aloud, but I can see how that applies perfectly to you. You're one of those people who sees the world in such a bright light, it often amazes me that one person can be so optimistic. You're so open-minded and you consider everyone's opinions before you refute them. You don't blankly listen as someone explains their stance and reject it completely and that aspect of you is rather inspiring, and according to your definition, you indeed are quite intelligent, just like your brother. :)
Bobby at first I was in complete and utter disagreement with what you were saying. But when you got to the actual substance of what you were saying and I agree.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence isn’t about knowing, it’s about understanding. An intelligent person is good at figuring out this and that, thus often leading to a vast expanse of knowledge. Of course, you often need some prior knowledge to have good understanding. So while intelligence isn’t exactly about knowing, it usually has a ton to do with it.
ReplyDeleteAn intelligent person is often knowledgeable, but a knowledgeable person is not always intelligent. So, a knowledgeable person knows that the effective nuclear charge is equal to the atomic number minus the screening constant. (I’m in quite a chemistry mood right now, don’t judge me.) An intelligent person, on the other hand, can understand why the effective nuclear charge can be found this way.
However, intelligence doesn’t come from just understanding science and all that mumbo jumbo. An intelligent person, simply put, is someone who is full of all-around insight who can put this insight to use in the world around them. And this is something that takes logic and creativity.
The most intelligent person I can think of is Leonardo da Vinci. He had large understanding in everything, from painting to anatomy to engineering. Man he was cool.
But I don’t actually know Leonardo (sadly), so I guess that doesn’t really answer the question. Well, it’s a hard question. I wish I had a super intelligent brother or grandpa like everyone else, but I don’t. (Now I feel like I’ve insulted my family..)
After a lot of thinking, I’ve deduced that Mr. Michael Giovinco is probably one of the smartest people I know. I know he will disagree with me. He already does disagree with me. But he fits my definition of intelligent- he is talented in the art of understanding, or maybe he’s tricked me into thinking so. I commend him either way.
Janel: Our definitions of intelligence aren’t the same. In fact, it even says it in your post: “To some people intelligence is the ability to solve problems or understand presented information. To me intelligence is the ability and willingness to learn new information. ” Which is kind of creepy. Anyways, with your definition, wouldn’t pretty much all of the AP kids be considered intelligent? We obviously have the ability to learn, and most of us are in AP exactly because we have a willingness to learn. If you define intelligence in this way, I don’t think you should be so surprised with its association with AP students.
George: “ Take any nerd to a dinner party, or even an interview, and see how “intelligent” they really are.” This made me smile. It’s oh so true. My post focused on analytical intelligence, which is a bit typical I guess. I definitely agree that intelligence includes coming up with new ideas, which I didn’t really mention myself. Your “three types of intelligence” was very well put.
Kendall: I definitely agree with what you said about education. The education system is all to focused on fast learning and quantity over quality. I don’t exactly know how you’d fix this though.
Becca I am insanely jealous of your cousin. That is all I want with my life right now.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMike- You are precisely what I am disagreeing with. Words don't mean what we want them to, or what we need them to mean. Intelligence isn't being well-rounded, they're not the same thing. Versatile is well-rounded, multi-talented is well-rounded, a Renaissance man is well-rounded. It's kind of the same thing I was babbling about with love on the last blog, there are far more precise and revealing descriptors than “intelligent.” Using intelligence to represent positive mental or emotional qualities is linguistic laziness and it does poor credit to those other skills that are lumped in with being good at Jeopardy.
ReplyDeleteRachel- I already mentioned this to you, but I love your brother's music. Unfortunately, he lacks intelligence. Guess what? It has literally no bearing on him, his character, his abilities and least of all his likelihood of success. Intelligence is this silly measure that we made up, IQ (which is a crappy measure of intelligence anyway) is worth nothing in a job interview. What your brother does have is wisdom, in his choice of how he spends his time. Your brother spends his time doing what he loves, and that's wisdom, he doesn't fear the arbitrary consequences of not doing what he's “supposed” to do. In the end, your “unintelligent” brother will have a far more rewarding and productive life than most of his “intelligent” peers.
Olivia- What can I say? I know what the people want.
Connie- I agree with one part of your blog, that the #1 student in our class cannot be deemed intelligent based purely on that fact. (This is of course, using your definition of intelligence, since mine is basically that intelligence is meaningless.) I don't say this to be flippant, (I felt based on my normal style that I needed to include that qualification) I actually don't consider myself to have a lot of those traits that you would associate with intelligence (especially tactfulness.) Otherwise I completely disagree with you. Just to clarify, I think you're wrong about what intelligence is, but if you were right, I agree with you that I would not be intelligent.
Matt- I'm flattered. (Payment is in delivery)
I had to remove this once because I forgot a negative in a sentence that made my whole comment make no sense.
Mike: I started reading your blog, but had to stop for a bit at the beginning of the second paragraph. The way you phrased that had me furious. You come across as pretentious (I know you’re anything but), as if you have all the facts. I’m sorry, but this is the first thing I noticed. The rest of the paragraph of course indicates that you’re being sarcastic, so I’m less mad now. That said, I like the points you make. Although I read plenty, I certainly could travel more and try more new things. But I don’t have the time or money for the former. I could definitely try the latter.
ReplyDeleteJames: When you mentioned your stance in class today, I agreed with you. And I still do. For some reason, it seems like a word that fits a person’s prowess in school or “games of academia” as you put it. Don’t know why. And I don’t even agree with all of your blog post. So, there’s that too. I just feel like smartness and intelligence are very similar, in a way, in that they have a very important application to the real world. And they certainly do mean shit. But that doesn’t make any sense, because it still means they’re insignificant. Oh well.
Amber: Einstein wasn’t a lousy student, as many claim. He just got average grades in everything save for math and science, where he excelled. So don’t go around making that mistake anymore, or I’ll call you stupid or something. Anyways, to your actual blog. Sometimes I envy the intelligent, until I realize I have the same thinking capabilities. And it’s on and off. I forget that I can think extensively, and it bothers me, until I find something to think about. Also, can one necessarily think “better” than someone else? I’m pretty sure we can only think differently, and some just think more than others.
To me, intelligence is one of the broadest terms we have in the dictionary. There are so many different forms of intelligence, and I don’t think there is any one true way to measure it. And I personally don’t think that a person has to be good at a bunch of stuff to be considered intelligent. I suppose I’ve always gone through life thinking intelligence is the retention and application of important knowledge. But then I guess it’s up for interpretation what is considered important knowledge. And now, as I write this blog, I’m not exactly sure what intelligence really is. There’s no way to pinpoint, or measure it. Schools try to measure it by SAT scores, ACT scores, class ranks, or GPA, but this is not a true measure of intelligence. I do not consider people who are in lower level classes or don’t do as well on tests to be any less intelligent than I am. They probably have the ability to excel at things I don’t.
ReplyDeleteFor one, I think there are many different types of intelligence. One type of intelligence is a social type of intelligence. Learning how to properly interact with others is something that must be taught to children at a young age. They’re taught how to share, keep their hands to themselves, etc. As those children grow into adults, some of those former children are not very good at interacting in social situations. Knowing how to interact and form relationships with people is not exactly an easy task, especially when others can be so darn annoying at times. I think another type of intelligence is the ability to get people to believe you, or to get what you want. It takes a lot of skill to get groups of people to believe what you are speaking is truth. Take Hitler for instance. Using this type of intelligence, Hitler is one of the most intelligent people around (not because of his beliefs because he was a terrible, appalling, xenophobic ass with an ugly moustache, of course). He’s intelligent because he completely convinced millions of people of something so absurd. If only he used his intelligence for good, think of how much better the world could possibly be. Another type of intelligence is creative intelligence. I think musicians and artists are intelligent as well. They can conceptualize new ideas and how something will sound or look when they are finished. They piece together many notes to create something beautiful. Being creative is also coming up with fresh ideas as well, such as new inventions. Another type of intelligence is the analytical intelligence.
I know this one child who has Down syndrome, but I wouldn’t consider him to be unintelligent. He’s taught me so many things about the atmosphere and technology. These are things I wouldn’t have learned if I hadn’t spent time talking with him. So I don’t think that intelligence is measured by how fast someone learns something. People with mental disabilities can still be intelligent. Some historians consider Einstein to have been autistic, and he is considered to have been one of the most intelligent people to have ever lived. Speaking of people with disabilities being intelligent, I found this article before and I feel that it sort of fits the topic this week. I find it to be pretty awesome!)
ReplyDeletehttp://theautismnews.com/2011/03/25/autistic-boy12-with-higher-iq-than-einstein-develops-his-own-theory-of-relativity/
On that note, I can’t pick out a specific person that I consider to be most intelligent. I consider multiple people to be intelligent, because they are all intelligent in their own way.
When I first read this blog I really liked it. Now that I've come back to it the only thing thing I know now is that I liked Lost in Translation. It was definitely a good movie. I love how they used the setting wonderously, and of course Bill Murray is a good actor, even if he looks like a skeleton nowadays. Too many great men end up like skeletons. Most of them, actually. All of them, actually.
ReplyDeleteA sobering thought.
But first, a caveat. Intelligence is not the same as smart. Smart is being able to regurgitate the capitals of every county of every empire past, present and future. Smartness is being able to recite the details of, say, quantum theory. These things are not intelligence.
But of course intellects can do this. It's just. Well. But.
Let's go back, yes?
All the way back.
Intelligence is taking what is given to you and making of it something more.
Humanity as a species is intelligence personified. It is, to summarize it, kind of our thing. It's why we've never been subsumed, or rather CONsumed, into the rest of the animal kingdom. It's why we've never been eliminated by species with claws sharper and hearts less feeble than ours. The ancients took sticks and made of them spears, and they made of seeds crops, and they made of their enemies... well. Corpses. This too is a kind of intelligence. It isn't easy to kill something that doesn't want to die.
A sobering thought.
But that is intelligence in its broadest terms, and its most brute terms, and it doesn't cover everything. And of course not everyone is deeply intelligent. So here, let's refine our definition for a more refined age...
Intelligence as we know it is composed of, primarily
1. Ingenuity
2. Ambition
Ingenuity is self explanatory. You'll never find any answers by looking at them the same way you looked at the problem.
Ambition, though, can be a little sketchier, since I don't mean physical ambition. What I mean is... Have you ever had a thought and then... dropped it? Have you ever wondered about something and then... shrugged it off? An intelligent person cannot do that. An intelligent person must be intensely curious about anything that catches their interest, and they must have the ambition to follow that thought process through to the end, even if it's hard, and find the gold at the end until it all lays unraveled behind them. But they must be able to doubt themselves, too, and consider every option.
And so progress marches forward.
And this can be kind of offputting, too. Way of the world. An uncaring world.
Intelligence is getting answers from an uncaring world by being able to ask the right questions. I like that one too. Nice and symbolic, as it were.
My dad is intelligent. He ruminates often. I try to ruminate often. My grandpa is intelligent. He's writing a book. It's about everything, apparently. I hope he gets it finished. My friends are intelligent. Some more intelligent than others, I'll admit... None as intelligent as me, I'll admit... Ok, ok, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it, yeah?
But for serious, I think the people who say they don't know anybody intelligent are setting their standards a little high. Intelligence isn't some holy grail we all strive for. I mean, we don't have to be Einstein before we're intelligent. Just a deeply curious nature and a questioning glance. And I think we've all got some of that, if we're here, at this place at this time. And what other time matters?
Keep on trucking, I guess. It's not like there's anything else to do.
George: I particularly enjoyed your blog this week. I like how you explained if one person is an analytical thinker, they're probably not very creative or will not do well in social situations, such as the dinner party. I also felt as I continuted writing that everyone is soomewhat intelligent by my examples and my very loose definition. I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who feels this way.
ReplyDeleteTed: “A person intelligent in the artistic sphere might see a wooden sculpture slowly being chipped away, whereas an individual intelligent in a mathematical or scientific sphere might see a practical use for the block.” I think this point was beautifully put and I couldn’t agree more. It’s not always well-roundedness that makes you intelligent. People see things quite differently. And your way of seeing things reflects the knowledge and abilities you have that suit you the most.
ReplyDeleteTom: I like the quote that you included. We acquire an abundance of knowledge each and every single day, but it’s what we do with it that matters. But finding the area under a curve doesn’t always mean intelligence does it? Most of us just know how to do it to get a good grade on a test. So yeah intelligence is definitely just not restricted to academic settings.
Janel: Giraffes! What you said about people who remember and recognize that information in the future are intelligent, I find to be true. It’s applying that knowledge you have to the different aspects of life. I agree that everyone has the ability to learn and gain knowledge. And unfortunately, intelligence is now associated with stuff like taking AP classes and earning high grades. Which isn’t always true.
Rae: I always get tricked by little kids too! Anyway, I wanted to say that I admire your brother (David I'm assuming). I've always enjoyed people who are able to do what he does. He focuses on what he really loves, and I envy that. I envy the fact that he doesn't care too much about school and puts his effort into his true love. I wish I was able to do that. Unfortunately, I feel too much pressure from society to spend my time on my school work.
ReplyDeleteBobby: I really like the way you opened your blog. I also think musicians are intelligent and I touched upon that in my blog, but I think you got to the root of what I was trying to say. Good job (:
ReplyDeleteTo James: Well, if one wants to take it by the book with the socially understood definition of intelligence, I would say you are spot on. In my mind, and for me personally, I would not go as far to say that IQ, SAT scores, and school performance have a great deal to do with defining intelligence. I can see what you mean when considering your take on intelligence being this socially defined term that we “created”. Yet, I prefer to believe that intelligence should refer to special individuals with unique abilities. Many of which qualify one as a genius. Nonetheless, I can agree with the sentiment that intelligence does not equal success. This applies to I think both of our views here, because success will be determined by what one does with that intellect in accordance with many other skills as you noted.
ReplyDeleteTo Mike: Oh Mike, as touching and insightful as that was, I feel as though I will have to greatly disagree with you on this matter. While I can admit that reading, traveling, and experience are good tools to better one’s skills and learn, I believe this has little to do with intelligence at base value. What I will say is that they can sharpen intelligence. But, I strongly feel that intelligence or the capacity for being intelligent is innate. I believe everyone has a basic intelligence level that can only be increased or brought out to a certain degree; obviously much more in some individuals than others. Those that can fully extend and bring out these traits can be christened as truly intelligent.
To Schuyler: I agree to a certain extent with many of the points you raised. The primary of which was your point about ambition. I think that ambition is really the fuel for intelligence and will determine how intelligence is ultimately viewed in an individual, because some people could be extremely intelligent or “smart” and not give two shits about doing anything with it. Ambition is key, that’s no lie. I suppose I can concede to a degree and agree with you that you don’t need to be Einstein to be intelligent, but I feel as though intelligence in a pure form is on the Einstein level. When I say this, I’m not claiming that we need to achieve feats as great as Einstein’s rather ones that are of a decent importance or of a unique significance. As I’ve said, intelligence is of a great variance in character. Einstein could view ideas in a unique way. To be intelligent I believe has a lot to do with being able to view things in a unique light as Einstein did (much like your point about ingenuity).
Mike:
ReplyDeleteI like how your definition of intelligence focuses on experiences outside of school or home. I completely agree with your three steps to gain intelligence. An open mind is so important in gaining intelligence and just being an over-all well-rounded person.
George:
Love your blog this week! It’s true that the meaning of intelligence is not universal. The definition is shaped and bent by people depending on their environment. It really is all about competence. For that reason, you’re right that anyone and everyone can be intelligent.
Janel:
I must say, I admire your bashing of intelligence. It certainly isn’t the only important trait for a person to possess, or for a country to possess, for that matter. Sometimes people get so caught up in appearing smart that they neglect other areas of their lives.
Okay so the first blog that i wrote got deleted because of my ghetto, stupid laptop. So i am gonna have to write this from memory now. AHHH! Here i go.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone is smart in their own unique ways. Whether your a smart chemist with shiny beakers and other fancy instruments, who invents cures for any kind of disease known to man, or just an everyday high school kid who can fix the rubics cube quickly and easily to look the way it should. (When i try to do it...let’s not talk about it.) However, being smart is very different from being intelligent. In order to be intelligent, i think you need the qualities of a sponge. Yes, a sponge.
Like a sponge, intelligence is the ability to absorb as much information as possible and then, without a problem, be able to apply it in every day life. Well at least thats what i think it means. I also think, in order to be an intelligent person you need to be open to the crazy world around you. You must be willing to learn and be accepting toward this craziness that we call life.
I think there are so many intelligent people that i know but one person that stands out is one of my friends. She has a pretty, what she calls “eh”, spot in our class rank (and i call AMAZING). She has a great SAT score that she calls “decent” and i dream of having. She never stops trying to make herself better than she already is. Although i am extremely jealous of her academic success, that is not what makes me think she is intelligent. So many aspects of her amaze me, she just knows so much! Her big African head holds so much information about life and history and society, and she can recall it and spit it out as easily as you can, well... spit. She knows the most random facts about life, in fact I am pretty sure everyday she has greeted me with a dirty look and then a random fact that she just found out. She knows so much about history and culture and life around her. But she is always excited to learn more. Although sometimes she might jokingly shut you out when you disagree with her, she appreciates difference of opinions. She always talks about how she loves to argue because she hates people and wants to shut them up, but I think she likes to argue because she wants to hear what they have to say and actually learn from them. Although she might hate Oakcrest, people, and anything that breathes, she secretly loves school. I think she loves learning, which is why she never stops learning.
To Matt: Introspection is a fascinating addition to the meaning of intelligence that I hadn’t touched upon. I did, however, mention the desire to learn. I agree that intelligence is not “the blind quest to know everything,” but I think that intelligent people will have the desire to learn about the best of themselves.
ReplyDeleteTo George: I like your mention of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. After reading the eight different types, I became interested in the theory and I will probably read up on it. I also agree with your statement that everyone is intelligent in their own way and that there are many different kinds of intelligences.
To Nick T.: I never had Mr. Weber as a teacher at Davies, but I do remember him from NJHS meetings. From those meetings and what my brother told me about him, I always figured that he seemed like an intelligible guy. I also like the quote that you included because it speaks to most of our procrastination tendencies.
Bobby: You're definitely right in saying that intelligence is what you want it to be. In terms of lyrical writing I believe you need to be highly intelligent to do so. I give a ton of credit to those to write. Creatively and originality is key, and I applaud you for being able to write.
ReplyDeleteDom: I couldn't agree more with your statement regarding the SAT/ACT/grades etc. Our future depends so highly on these three aspects that if we mess up on one of them, we may not be able to get into a college of our choosing.
Mike: I told you this today, and I stand by my opinion wholeheartedly: being well rounded does not have any bearing on intelligence. You explain how to become intelligent, but WHY does being well-rounded translate to how intelligent one is? By this logic, who is really intelligent?
ReplyDeleteConnie: Sorry, at first glance I thought you were calling me out. My mistake. No hard feelings. Anyway, Carl Sagan is awesome, so I have to comment, not to mention that I really enjoyed your blog. The key word that stuck out to me in your blog was "wit." In my humble opinion, wit is the culmination of quick thinking and cognitive awareness.
James: I admire the far more narrow view of intelligence posted in your blog. While most of us (me included) used the concept as an umbrella under which lay various other concepts of mental ability, you provided a singular, fine concept of the word.
Nick T.: Oh my gosh! I remember Mr. Weber at the brain brawl. I was sitting there shocked too! ahaha He knew like every answer to every question! Anyways, I like your definition of intelligence and i understand why you call him the most intelligent person you know. He is pretty darn brilliant.
ReplyDeleteRachel: “It may seem as though he failed the system, but the truth is that the system failed him.” I love that! Why does how we do in high school have to determine where we go in life, or what we do either?! I think your brother is an incredibly brave person for doing what he wants and not what other people expect from him. Oh and by the way, I can picture in my head that little girl tricking you lol. It is so easy to do!
Kendall: I totally agree with Nick, when i read your blogs i feel like you are right next to me. Your voice is so loud in your writing. By the way, I almost took a peak at the dictionary too, but i stopped myself haha. Anyways, i really like your scenarios. I feel like it really explained what you were saying, very well.
Being smart isn't the same as being intelligent at all. For a good portion of your life, smarts will get you nowhere, on the other hand, intelligence gets you everywhere. Who cares that you can solve an upper level calculus problem? Who cares that you can draw the electron dot diagram for francium? Who cares if you can recite Shakespeare's Sonnet 1? Nobody in the real world cares. Nobody. Can you balance a check book? Can you change a flat tire on the side of a busy highway? Can you make a burger on the grill? These are the stupid and seemingly unimportant things that show true intelligence. Intelligence is the measure of one's ability to be most efficient in living and getting by.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is doing the things that really matter in life(finances, health, social interaction), and not the things that don't matter(chemistry, calculus, statistics). When you lay on your deathbed one day and you look up at the white, bland, lifeless ceiling, you'll think about the experiences you had in life, all that you've done, and I can guarantee the "smart" people will have much less to think about than the "intelligent" people.
It was hard to put a finger on who the most intelligent person in my life. I thought and I thought, none of my peers truly fit the role, I've had brilliant and smart teachers, but still not there, then I thought about my family. Cliche, maybe, but it's where I found out who the most intelligent person in my life was. The most intelligent person in my life is my Poppop, my grandfather, my father's father. Unfortunately, just a few hours before I sit down to write this blog response, I got some bad news. My Poppop had been in the hospital recently with some breathing problems and what not, I just assumed he was getting old, not really a big deal. Well, today I got the worst news I've gotten in awhile, maybe ever. Today, the little problem that was just a difficulty breathing was actually Stage IV Terminal Lung Cancer. I'm not even sure what to think about this, it's just a matter of days till I fly down to Florida for a little while to spend some time with him. There is no better time to write about this intelligent man than today, he deserves it, he's earned it. He has truly lived the life, however much longer it ceases to continue, he sure has lived it. He was so smart, if I had a question, I'd go to him, and he'd answer it, plus some! He could do anything too. He could put together a deck, fix the lawn mower, even carve a wooden dolphin in his spare time. He has optimized his life, and has truly fulfilled my definition of intelligent.
Maybe I just chose to write about him because of the situation I'm in, the timing of this blog, but isn't that the true point of writing these things? I know that bunje and all of my peers could care less about my response as long as I truly think about my answer, filter my thoughts, and just think about myself and my life and learn who I am. That might have been what I did here, but for the time being there's no doubt in my mind that he is the most intelligent person I know.
I don’t claim to know anything about intelligence. (That sentence may sound paradoxical, but bear with me.) Intelligence may very well have a definition in the dictionary, but to me it’s a concept that can only feign objective meaning. Socrates is known to have said “I am the wisest, for I know that I know nothing.” His views reflect my position that intelligence is purely an internal matter, and it would be a favor to everyone if the general population would shut up about how smart they think themselves. To relate to your anecdote, Dear Ol’ Bunj, let it be known that beloved mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell said “The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.”
ReplyDeleteSo, in essence, intelligence is what you make of it. I’d like to say I’m a pretty smart fella. After all, I’m in the top ten percent of my class and I made the state finals for the annual FBLA competition. However, I am currently typing this sentence at 10:45 pm on Wednesday night and I don’t intend on stopping my Tomasello-esque streak of procrastination any time soon. Why? Because I’m an idiot. Isn’t that obvious? How could I purposefully practice such a horrible work ethic and risk completing a half-hearted assignment unless I was a complete (pardon my French) nincompoop? Also, how could I possibly be a member of FBLA, the academic team, and the varsity scholars unless I was at least of above average smarticleness?
Intelligence is a paradox. Unless a person’s intelligence is his or her claim to fame, then the only clear definition of the word I can muster is this:
Intelligence is a fickle attribute that is used by some to denote self-worth, by some to denote arrogance, and by all to determine who to cheat off of in class. All in all, it’s an idea that’s so important that attempting to define it would only undermine its true meaning.
337 words. Take that, Schuyler.
Nick T - Daniel P. Weber is quite a smart dude and there's no one whose ego would get a bigger boost than his to know you believe that about him.
ReplyDeleteBobby- You are a pure lyrical genius and i believe it takes a ridiculous amount of talent and intelligence to do what you do. Don't let it go to your head though big guy.
Matt- Our own neighborhood fan favorite James Townley is quite the intelligent young man, to say the least. He knows so much. He knows too much. If I wasn't in the somber mood I am in now, I could have made a similar case for him being one of the most intelligent people I know. One smart dude.
I don't think I've ever met a truly intelligent person. An intelligent person would have so much knowledge in a broad range of topics. You would always know what the right choice to make is. From movies and other media we think of an intelligent person as a nerd or a super genius. We think of people who get good grades or have a high SAT score. Those people are just good test takers most likely. And the knowledge they have is very small compared to the maximum intelligence one could achieve. As Mr. Sera, someone who I view as an intelligent person I guess, once said, there is so much that can be learned and we only have the time to absorb a very small amount of it. It was somewhere along the lines of that. If I lowered my standards for intelligence then he would be up there. Cervi would be up there too.. he knows ALOT. They both know so much that I couldn't imagine ever knowing. Both are very interested in history so a lot is just absorbing facts. Hmmm... maybe there are different types of intelligence's. People who can spit back information and people who can analyse information. Everyone is intelligent in their own way and some people are good at analysis while some are good at repeating facts. Its like some people excel in english while others excel in math. I'm going to give this some more thought..
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIntelligence is indefinable in my view, it's abstract, weird and many of times hard to secern. Intelligence can never be measured, it can never be assessed, and no test can ever evaluate intelligence. People throughout history (more importantly here in the united states) have tried to measure intelligence, mainly due to the individualistic nature of our culture. People like Alfred Binet and Lewis Terman are eminent (opprobrious is how I look at them) for their introduction of the Stanford-Binet test (IQ test). Tests like these are flawed when measuring mental ability, they don't measure social competence, practical problem solving, creativity, etc....
ReplyDeleteTesting intelligence, mental ability, is a no no, but pegging and identifying different breeds of intelligences is acceptable. Actually more than acceptable, praised. Psychologists, Sternberg and Gardner are known for their classifications of intelligences (I prefers Sternberg’s ideology, but Gardeners intelligences are more veracious). So in the end I do not know how to define intelligence, because there are many different types of intelligences, and one needs to be proficient in one of them to be considered that type of intelligence.
The smartest person I know, now I need you to elaborate. If it’s the smartest person I have met, it would be Dr. Michio Kaku. If you do not know who he is, sad, then you need to read up on the string theory. Now if you're talking about the smartest person who I know and see more than once a year, I would have to say...nobody...I really do not know who. I could name my brothers, they are pretty smart, well actually really intelligent in many different fields, but they do not encompass my view of intelligence
"Stop using Einstein as an example for your speeches on how you can still be very intelligent, like Einstein intelligent, even if you failed high school." ---me against motivation fucking speakers.
ReplyDeleteMatt: I'm wondering how self-actualization or the need for self-actualization is a tocsin of intelligence. Morality and intelligence are not correlated at all; some of the smartest people in the world did not have a definite moral ideology. While in another sense, I think I will take the side with George Clooney, to find ones true self and to discern who we truly are is relying on the premise that there is a true you, with an ideal personality and a ramrod morality.
Michael: I would say I read a good amount of books, I'm currently reading the Bell Curve. I say I travel, because in all sincerity I've traveled most likely the most in this class. One thing I will say is that only the former can bring you intelligence, per se. One thing that I have learned is that in truth, your backyard is the same as let's say a backyard in Newcastle, England or Zaragoza, Spain or Sao Paolo, brazil. The only thing you will learn is the culture itself and the type of people in there, something you could easily do from my laptop. Or something you could do reading a book on the culture (something I think is entirely flawed, because even in a culture there are hundreds of different views and traditions) of let's say Catalonia. The thing is, Michael, is that you might be more extroverted and actually see the significance of culture, where as I pretty much think that it brandish a group of people who are diverse.
James: I mean I had to pick you, well in truth I mostly took intelligence as mental ability, they are not synonymous. However in a sense when you have for example musical intelligence then you need to have creativity. I'm also calling into question your pejorative definition or affection towards intelligence. But I will agree with you on one thing, success is not measured on how intelligent one is, it's a mix between creativity, motivation (drive, incentive, ambition hover you would like to call it) and innate intelligence.
Garret: Intelligence is not all about books and crap. You're right, having knowledge about life does show intelligence. I'm so sorry about your grandfather, from what you said, he does sound like a very intelligent man. I hope things get better. I know we're not like best friends or anything but if you do need anything that i can help with, let me know.
ReplyDeleteReply to Matt: I guess I wasn't taking the argument I was trying to make very far. The way I look at it is this, if I simply know things about math, like a lot of things. I have so many god darned things about math in my head that I could blow a gasket any time soon. Well that's all good and dandy, but that stuff won't help me out UNLESS I was doing something math related. When someone is capable of knowing and understanding things from all areas of interest (and yes James this can be a talent) then that person is intelligent. My reasoning behind this comes from meeting people from all over the world. I hate to break it to you, but outside these puny little walls of Oakcrest, beyond the flat hills of Mays Landing is a world that is so great that it can eat up any one of us at any given moment. In this world, there a people who are our age and can speak 6 completely different languages fluently. I once met a girl who lives in China, once lived in France, and could speak Chinese, English, Dutch, French, and a few other random languages. If you heard the insight that she has on the world your mind would be blown. You know why? She's seen it all. Can people at our age be intelligent? Yeah, I think that she is.
ReplyDeleteNow the whole heart of my reason is that "knowing things" isn't intelligence. I hear everyone in the AP classes trying to rattle off the newest facts that they've learned from a book. While that fact is all good and dandy they need to be a bit well rounded in the sense that goes beyond just knowlege they need to be able to take that thing that they are talking about and be able to utilize that knowlege on a completely different playing field. Like being able to use Neuroscience to be able to explain a concept in History. When someone is able to be well rounded, and truly wellrounded I don't mean someone who plays baseball, does drama, and is top of their class. That isn't well-rounded, which is where James misinterprets what I say. Being well-rounded is on a playing field that our high school doesn't care much about. An intelligent person can take a concept and create something new, something revolutionary from it. An intelligent person is that guy who took what he learned as a radio-dj and figured out a way to beat cancer with it. That understanding is intelligence. I say well-roundedness because that is the first step to being intelligent. If you are truly well-rounded, if you are a Renaissance man, then Damn-it you deserve to be deemed intelligent. Anyone else, and this goes for me too, needs to throw themselves at more challenges if they want to get to that title.
You guys can disagree with me all you want. I don't really care. I'm being frank because I know a great deal about what I want to do with my life. I don't want to stay in this little town of Mays Landing. I want to pursue some of the beliefs of Thoreau and Emerson because the way that the believe we should learn is pretty darn accurate. If you really want to learn something, go out into the world and learn it yourself. Don't sit there rattling off facts that you've heard other people discovered before, rotting away the precious time you have on this earth so you can seem smart. Go discover something yourself. And if you happen to come back onto the blog and read it (whoever comes back to read this) and you feel that it applies to you and you feel offended, then good. You were probably one of the many people that this comment was aimed at.
Amber: Hmmm. Hmmmmmm. I love the spaces, it's like I'm in heaven... And though I may disagree with a couple of your definitions, intelligence I think you got pretty good. You even used the same word, unravel. I... I think in regards to problem solving. I forget. Sue me. Either way, good space. I mean show.
ReplyDeleteNick - God I love Socrates, you've won me over with my love of ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle included, I don't care if he was a misogynist or a racist or whatever, so hmph. And the thing is, Betrand's quote fits in exactly with my view of intelligence. The intelligent always have to doubt themselves because they're always questioning, while the fools can take all their answers at face value.
Mike - Nah man. Nah. Don't be like that. I'm really rubbed the wrong way by your definition of intelligence, and I'll think about it in more depth and figure out exactly why, but maybe it's because I spend so much of my time thinking about what's right and wrong and is and isn't and now you want me to say I'm not at least attempting intelligence because what? I haven't traveled or something? Intelligence isn't that complicated, my friend.
Hira: I don't think its all about school smarts. You can be intelligent in other ways. I think I know who youre talking about. ;)
ReplyDeleteMikey G: I agree and disagree. I don't think the ways you gave to become intelligent really work out. Travelling, reading, and trying new things isn't going to work out. I can go around the world and read a bunch of books while eating a bunch of foriegn foods. It won't turn me into an intelligent person. Blah I'll argue with you in the morning.
Matt: I've just started to enjoy reading books. I've read 12 in my free time since last year. I just finished the Hunger Games yesterday. I hate how I get so into books and I can't put it down. I was reading the second Hunger Games book just now only to be stopped by my kindle dying. I realized after it died how much time went by. I think intelligence comes over time but only if you are motivated and apply yourself. This has nothing to do with what you said besides the fact that you said you read a book
P.S. Jhon, to clarify travel I mean beyond the backyard (and this primarily goes towards what we can do in our future), but in different places of the world people are great at different things, traveling to learn about these great things is what brings intelligence. And I don't believe you can really learn about culture in a book. My example for this is if you were trying to learn how to do a british accent (like I had to in drama class) and you were looking at videos online, there is this lady who teaches things all wrong and you typically learn about stereotypical proper british while if you were talking to someone who is actually british they could tell you about the differences between londoners and those in the outside suburbs.
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