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What is Intelligence?

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?
 

bicker

Unitarian Universalist
Intelligence is the name of a journal, the name of a television show, and the name of a rock band. While I'm sure none of these were within the context of your question, the point is that words are used by different people not just with different perspectives, but also for different purposes. Within the milieu of this forum, the words could still be used by different people for different purposes. I've seen discussions (in similar forums) wherein which posters were vigorously defending their perspectives in this regard, when the reality was that they were talking about completely unrelated things (and yet still insisting they were talking about the same thing, and the other person was "wrong"). I find such petty arguments inane. They serve no purpose other than to give people a context within which to throw silly slurs at someone else.

So in that light, I think it is worthwhile to avoid disputing how someone is using a word.

All of the definitions you put forward are definitions of something. There isn't much point in disagreeing about the use of the word "intelligence" to label that which is defined by each of the definitions you've provided. Rather, in cases where conflict seems to stem from the use of the word, or the use of other words, the proper reaction is to fall back on the explicit definitions, and then continue discussing the important issue from there.
 

zenzero

Its only a Label
Friend Sunstone,

What is Intelligence?
What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it

Am too unintelligent to understand or respond to your query!

Love & rgds
 

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
It is the ability to learn- and learn from your mistakes as well. That is only one definition, however.
 

no_spoon

Member
When I was in college a long time ago they defined intelligence operationally (in essence, intelligence is what intelligence tests discover). For instance, psychologists make the operational assumption that men and women are equally intelligent and for a *new* intelligence test if they score consistently differently, that proves the test is not a good one and needs to be fixed.
 

no_spoon

Member
P.S. - I did a little Wikipedia research Intelligence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and I now recall hearing about Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (which was proposed 7 years after I got out of college), which sounds real good to me. What I had described above hearing in my college lectures is (apparently) the psychometric definition.
 

Panda

42?
Premium Member
What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?

If you could define what intelligence is in a meaningful way I think psychologists would love you.
 

sandandfoam

Veteran Member
What is intelligence?

It can be many things.
A stick to beat both those that are perceived to lack it and those that are perceived to have too much of it.
It can be an escape route either by it's presence or it's absence. It can also be a shield.
I think it's normally assessed by the ability to win an argument, make a point, accumulate wealth, gain influence over others, pass exams. Or combinations of same.
 

Reverend Rick

Frubal Whore
Premium Member
What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?

It is the ability to hold Liberal opinions AND despise our former President and Vice President. Anyone who cannot demonstrate that ability must be stupid according to the majority of members in this forum.
 

Reverend Rick

Frubal Whore
Premium Member
Seriously, I believe it is the ability to apply your knowledge and be self sufficient and happy with little effort on your part. Using your brain and not your back?
 

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
It is the ability to hold Liberal opinions AND despise our former President and Vice President. Anyone who cannot demonstrate that ability must be stupid according to the majority of members in this forum.

Finally! A definition of intelligence we can all get behind!
 

Buttercup

Veteran Member
What is intelligence? It is a measure of ones ability to understand something? Is it a measure of ones ability to adapt to ones environment? Is it a measure of ones ability to learn from experience? Is it a measure of ones ability to deal with cognitive complexity? Or is it something else? How would you yourself describe it?
In my mind, intelligence is the inherent ability to absorb, understand and use and reuse gathered information, or unique information dreamed up on your own. Some people are better at it than others.
 

no_spoon

Member
A number of the posts in this thread (including my first reply) I think are emphasizing the common definition of intelligence such as would be used to "track" students in an academic setting. I have been reading more on Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theories this afternoon, and they really impress me (see Howard Gardner, multiple intelligences and education).

He seems to say that each person is a mixture of different types of intelligence, which reminds me of the Myers-Briggs personality indicator which shows that we are a mixture of different personality elements (thinker, doer, coordinator, etc.)

Over the years I have begun to believe that true team work is valuable in achieving goals, and requires an acceptance of the different strengths and weaknesses that each team member brings to the table.

I hope this didn't seem like too much of a digression. But I think it's important to realize that not everyone who is skilled in some area can explain it (i.e., not verbally intelligent), or may be too shy or awkward (i.e., not interpersonally intelligent), or that those who are musically intelligent may not be able to navigate their way to the concert venue without a GPS.
 

rageoftyrael

Veritas
I haven't a clue what intelligence is. If i had an inkling what intelligence really was, i'd probably be religious. I'm not sure if it can really be defined. Why is it that we have it, and other creatures don't? This question, to me, is just like any religious question. Eh, i guess im just not smart enough to answer your question. Of course, as an agnostic, i admit on a regular basis im not smart enough to figure stuff out, so i guess that isnothing new, lol.
 
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