# What's more important: Intelligence or Education? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526 "2010-04-09T14:27:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/21 "2010-04-09T17:12:28Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Without education, intelligence is wasted. And vice versa. You can teach a rat to run a maze, but you can’t make it understand why you bother. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/22 "2010-04-09T17:34:46Z")
“Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” - Benjamin Franklin ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/23 "2010-04-09T19:57:35Z")
Nope. I’m going to go for “willingness to work hard and learn.” If you’re talking about credentialed education, well, it’s way over-rated in many ways. What counts is what you make of it, and how much you educate yourself, all the time. Even today many very successful people don’t have that diploma; they educated themselves and just worked towards their goals. If you’re a genius but too lazy to do anything with it, that’s no good either. There are plenty of averagely-smart people who are doing far more good in the world through their hard work and determination than the genius next door who won’t use it well. And of course, I’ll add in honesty, integrity, and kindness as well. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/24 "2010-04-09T20:12:10Z")
I’m surprised at the results so far, and _very_ surprised that so few respondents seem to recognize the value of a formal education. ---
**Author:** ![bearman217](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e4f/32.png) [@bearman217](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bearman217)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/25 "2010-04-09T21:48:50Z")
The thing is, they are two ways down the same path. A person can be educated out the wa-zoo and yet be unable to apply it to real life, or a person can be as intelligent as Einstein but not taught anything useful. However, as it is the goal of education to become intelligent, it seems that intelligence is more important as it is the final step of the educating process. ---
**Author:** ![Galileo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Galileo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galileo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/26 "2010-04-09T22:26:13Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > I’m surprised at the results so far, and _very_ surprised that so few respondents seem to recognize the value of a formal education. The poll wasn’t: “What has value: Intelligence or a Formal Education?” I agree with the majority so far: Intelligence is more important than education. But, there are things that are more important than intelligence. > [@Winston Smith](#): > > Education=education, in the noble sense, in my opinion. What’s education “in the noble sense”? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/27 "2010-04-09T22:52:05Z")
My response only deals with who I’d rather have relationships with; I’d _much_ rather have a relationship (on any level) with a person who is intelligent than a person who is educated. My response may well be colored by the fact that I only ever graduated high school, and my husband only completed two years of college. Currently, he is a computer engineer for the federal government, and I manage our rental properties. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/28 "2010-04-09T23:05:04Z")
> [@Galileo](#): > > The poll wasn’t: “What has value: Intelligence or a Formal Education?” > > I agree with the majority so far: Intelligence is more important than education. But, there are things that are more important than intelligence.What’s education “in the noble sense”? Correct. I was commentating on the commentary. The second point being education for the noble purpose of learning, as opposed to education for the sole purpose of attaining crdentials ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/29 "2010-04-09T23:26:40Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > My response may well be colored by the fact that I only ever graduated high school, and my husband only completed two years of college. Since someone brought it up earlier as being potentially interesting or relevant, I’ll mention that I, too, only ever completely high school. I spent just under a year in a community college before leaving for the work force for good. This is not to suggest that I think education is unimportant. I think it’s a worthwhile pursuit and has the potential to greatly enhance someone’s career opportunities. I’d recommend college over not to most folks. But my reasonable intelligence has managed to get me far enough to have a quality career without the benefit of higher education, and I feel like on the scale of importance, intelligence wins. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/30 "2010-04-10T02:26:19Z")
It’s what you do with it that counts… Intelligence should be more important, because that’s where solutions and inventions and progress comes from. Unfortunately, education is often mistaken for education, and too much value is placed on the diploma/degree without considering what a person is capable of. Education doesn’t make you capable - it just makes you educated. Of course the two are linked, but you can memorize and regurgitate material well enough to get through university nowadays. If you don’t comprehend what you’re doing when you’re faced with it, though, your education is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/31 "2010-04-10T04:43:15Z")
I’d rather be uneducated and intelligent rather than ignorant and educated. And I’ve seen far too many of the latter to really want to associate myself with that anymore. A formal education is merely a nice exterior covering up a rotten foundation in order to get ahead in life. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/32 "2010-04-10T04:49:30Z")
Because there was no choice of “size of bank account”, I voted for intelligence. OTOH, I think really stupid people are happier, as they aren’t concerned about possibilities and consequences. ---
**Author:** ![firstname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ab992/32.png) [@firstname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/firstname)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/33 "2010-04-10T12:46:02Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > I’m surprised at the results so far, and _very_ surprised that so few respondents seem to recognize the value of a formal education. I answered intelligence you either have it or you don’t, education can be gained at any time. ---
**Author:** ![Iridescent\_Orb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@Iridescent\_Orb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iridescent_Orb)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/34 "2010-04-11T08:53:44Z")
I consider intelligence to be more important overall, but a minimum level of education is increasingly required to gain access to interesting and lucrative careers. I think of this as “table stakes”. Once you have enough formal education to get a seat at the table, your innate skills and talent become increasingly important for long-term success. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/35 "2010-04-11T13:52:59Z")
This is a toss up for me. I worked at Raytheon and met some intelligent people can’t get out of their own way. What good is being that smart if you lack common sense? I would rather be well rounded. I find many brilliant people boring. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/36 "2010-04-11T15:04:10Z")
I think it’s a shame that “curiosity” wasn’t an option. Neither intelligence nor education is worth a damn without it. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/37 "2010-04-11T16:15:28Z")
Mom (the PhD) says intellingents is more important. And she agreed with me that it’s good to be an autodidact . She also says a good education can to some extent overcome stupidity. If it’s a good education. If. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/38 "2010-04-11T16:46:35Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > I think it’s a shame that “curiosity” wasn’t an option. Neither intelligence nor education is worth a damn without it. No doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/39 "2010-04-11T16:53:56Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > I’d rather be uneducated and intelligent rather than ignorant and educated. And I’ve seen far too many of the latter to really want to associate myself with that anymore. > > A formal education is merely a nice exterior covering up a rotten foundation in order to get ahead in life. I do think intelligence is more important, but I don’t think the above is true. A good education can help to shape and focus an intelligent person. While it’s fine to say you can teach yourself many things based on your own curiosity, we wouldn’t have doctors or lawyers or rocket scientists without formal education. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526/40 "2010-04-12T03:29:14Z")
Intelligence is more important, but since we can’t go out and get more of it, the relevant choice we individually face is: “Which is more important, education or no education?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-important-intelligence-or-education/535526.md?page=3)