WHat defines intelligence? - General

I'm known throughout my school with the teachers as "That computer genius kid" (I live in the south so not much to compare me to) mostly because I can do things that amaze them, for example I made an RPG for an algebra II project, so I must seem pretty smart. I was in my Geometry II class the other day, and I just couldn't grasp the concept at hand. And lucky me we had a test on that very same concept the day after. Now I'm not known for my stellar math grades, in fact i'm quite sub-average when it comes to it, so it was no surprise I didn't answer a lot of the questions on the test. Now when my teacher comes over to collect it, she sees it and says "C'mon Derp, you're an intelligent young man, what did you have trouble with?" to which I replied "I don't consider myself intelligent, I consider myself knowledgeable." Which is true because I do know a lot of things. Saying this made me question what intelligence really is, you would say Stephen Hawking is intelligent right? It's because he's a renowned scientist. Albert Einstein? Same case, only difference was he did poorly in school, did people call him intelligent then? Now would you call washed up heroin addict intelligent, probably not. But what if he/she pulled out a sketchpad and started to draw amazing works of art? Or what if he/she got on a computer and wrote a program that could help the FBI find most wanted criminals based on search queries? Are they intelligent then? What is someone completely dropped out of school, now that guy must not have been very intelligent at all right? But what if he provided you with some of the most stimulating conversation you have ever had? What if he knew so much about so many things but none of it was applicable on an IQ test? So, What defines intelligence? [editline]11th January 2012[/editline] Mods, a little help with the irony in the title please?

I have put a lot of thought into this myself. I don't do very well in school, yet everyone that knows me thinks im practically a genius. I have come to the conclusion that it all boils down to a person's level of awareness. If you are aware, then you remember the things you see, hear, think, etc. and can use what you have learned in your everyday life. I myself remember the majority of what i experience because i am always paying close attention to my surroundings. But I see other kids who wont even notice a person calling their name right behind them, those are the kids that we would consider "not intelligent".

Teachers usually think anything in computing is magic. They're just trying to motivate you.

From Marriam-Webster [quote]a (1) : the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations : reason; also : the skilled use of reason (2) : the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (as tests) b Christian Science : the basic eternal quality of divine Mind c : mental acuteness : shrewdness 2 a : an intelligent entity; especially : angel b : intelligent minds or mind <cosmic intelligence> 3 : the act of understanding : comprehension 4 a : information, news b : information concerning an enemy or possible enemy or an area; also : an agency engaged in obtaining such information 5 : the ability to perform computer functions [/quote] There probably isn't a specific gauge to measure how intelligent somebody is, but you can usually differentiate the smarties from the dummies.

Einstein did extremely well at school, it's a misconception since German grades are backwards (most countries that use numeric grading use 1-10 (1 being the worst, 10 - the best), but the Germans use it the other way around, because they say not 1, but 1st, not 2, but 2nd and so on until 10th, who is the worst). At least that's what they teached me at school. This post has nothing to do with the discussion, I just wanted to point out the common misconception.

I always want to rip someones head off when they imply "IQ = how smart you are". That's a sign of someone who isn't intelligent.

[QUOTE=gamefreek76;34160077]From Marriam-Webster There probably isn't a specific gauge to measure how intelligent somebody is, but you can usually differentiate the smarties from the dummies.[/QUOTE] Couldnt have said it any better. Knowledge is what you gain from learning, but that doesnt directly have anything to do with intelligence, although they usually work together.

Socrates wrestled with a near similar issue, which was "What makes one wise?" Socrates was called "the wisest of men," and yet he always denied it. He believed that the man who knows he is not wise is truly wise. The issue is that he went around proving most people were arrogant pricks, which ended up getting him executed. But I digress, it doesn't matter how smart people think they are, they won't ever really be truly intelligent.

Geometry huh. So you're what, in grade 8? lol

[QUOTE=fluke42;34161212]Socrates wrestled with a near similar issue, which was "What makes one wise?" Socrates was called "the wisest of men," and yet he always denied it. He believed that the man who knows he is not wise is truly wise. The issue is that he went around proving most people were arrogant pricks, which ended up getting him executed. But I digress, it doesn't matter how smart people think they are, they won't ever really be truly intelligent.[/QUOTE] i did not deny it, i am smart

[QUOTE=Aman VII;34161279]Geometry huh. So you're what, in grade 8? lol[/QUOTE] He said Geometry 2. And regular Geometry is taken by highschool students.

Proving once again how backwards the US educational system is. Problem is each standard is managed by the separate states or provinces in the combined united states. So some states have easier educational systems then other states. EDIT: In fact lets look at the definition of education ? the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. Does the educational system do any of that ? No

I've always though of intelligence as ones ability to know things and create new ideas. Einstein wasn't intelligent because he knew a lot of things, he was able to put concept together in ways other people had not though about. Intelligence is a very subjective thing though because we all have areas of proficiency. Sticking with the Einstein theme, he once said: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

If you can hack and type 500 wpm like in the movies.

School isn't about how intelligent you are, it's about how good your memory is, which quite frankly is bullshit in my opinion.

Being Wise, intelligent and smart are all different things to me. Being wise is having experience, and acting from memories. Being smart is knowing a lot, facts and such. Being intelligent is being able to solve problems, to think logic and find way around things. I think its this that defies intelligence. If we are going to go even further, i would say imagination is a great step.

[QUOTE=pansarkurt;34164138]Being Wise, intelligent and smart are all different things to me. Being wise is having experience, and acting from memories. Being smart is knowing a lot, facts and such. Being intelligent is being able to solve problems, to think logic and find way around things. I think its this that defies intelligence. If we are going to go even further, i would say imagination is a great step.[/QUOTE] What about being clever, bright or sharp?

Critical thinking is nothing without knowledge, the two go hand in hand. You're nothing without the past, no matter how powerful your brain may be. Intelligence is pretty much the sum of the two.

I prefer to define it as being able to make your own choices in life. For example, knowing that it's a terrible idea to go into a dark cave at night that you damn well [I]know[/I] is haunted/possessed/a living creature/the home of the yeti, bigfoot or slenderman, or possibly all three. School is a terrible way to judge somebodies intelligence. If you want to know how smart somebody is, watch what they do and how they react when confronted by challenges. There is no perfectly accurate way to do so, though.

I believe intelligence is how well you solve problems, for example if given a question and told to write an extended response for it, if you do so and address all the criteria thoroughly and show much understanding in what is being asked, then it would be understandable to say that you're intelligent in terms of how well you answered the question.

I would define intelligence as not putting a capital H in the thread title. Seriously though, all these people saying "school is bad and doesn't teach us anything" really need to understand that is only half true. School (believe it or not) does teach us some things that we should know. Sure, school isn't a bullet-proof system that teaches us everything about everything. Although, I completely agree that school is a bad way to judge someone's intelligence. I consider myself a pretty smart person but I only have a C+ average right now.

Well on Facepunch it's being a left wing liberal atheist who praises anything that isn't religious or the slightest bit conservative. In the real world, it's being able to just figure out complex problems and use thinking to create. Create things like a sharp stick or a fishing rod. Improvisation. That's smart.

[QUOTE=Aman VII;34161279]Geometry huh. So you're what, in grade 8? lol[/QUOTE] uh I'm a sophomore in HS and am doing geometry now

[QUOTE=McNab;34159821]Saying this made me question what intelligence really is, you would say Stephen Hawking is intelligent right? It's because he's a renowned scientist. Albert Einstein? Same case, only difference was he did poorly in school, did people call him intelligent then?[/QUOTE] the reason both of those are considered intelligent are because they are/were both [I]geniuses of ridiculous order[/I] if you ever study special relativity you'll understand what I mean for Einstein (and I won't get on to general relativity for years)

I agree that there are different types of intelligence/smartness. For example, I know people that get phenomenal grades, but can't actually think for themselves. They can only figure things out after a teacher tells them how.

[QUOTE=Derp Y. Mail;34160173]I always want to rip someones head off when they imply "IQ = how smart you are". That's a sign of someone who isn't intelligent.[/QUOTE] Though I suppose that you can infer that since I think it's 40 IQ is what is required for basic function and 68 or so is considered mentally retarded, it has a small part.

The ability to comprehend defines intelligence. The [B]End.[/B]

It is really hard to define "intelligence". There has been many attempts, during world war 2. American scientists and psychologist wanted to define intelligence. They introduced several tests in which our modern IQ tests are based on. But intelligence has many interpretations, one might say that it is the ability to face new problems very quickly and in a fast way. But define problem, quickly or fast. Other people say that it is your general knowledge about the world. But try to define knowledge and world. It is really hard to actually create a definiton for intelligence.

[QUOTE=KnightVista;34169780] The [B]End.[/B][/QUOTE] no

There is a fine border between knowledge that is learned, and the intuitive knowledge a person may already possess. But, whether you want to limit the definition to only one of the terms as "intelligence" is up to you.