I’m taking one of the many classes I need to finish up my credential this summer and one of my assignments is to interview some people on what they think intelligence is. Now, I do plan to interview some real life people, but I thought that an excellent way to supplement those interviews would be to ask you, the people of the Straight Dope. After all, you have nothing better to do. Er… I mean, you are a knowledgable lot who enjoy such questions.
So…
(In your humble opinion) what do you think intelligence is?
I believe that intelligence is the ability to learn from other people’s mistakes. I distinguish this from common sense (which I define as the ability to avoid mistakes before you make them) and experience (the ability to learn from your own mistakes).
BTW, are you the genuine Llama of Death, come to take me away?
I think that any definition of intelligence must go beyond just the sheer knowledge of facts. It should include how easily and quickly a person is able to apply what they know to a particular situation, and to be able to apply knowledge quickly in rapidly changing situations. So for me, it wouldn’t be just what I know, but how well I use what I know.
I agree with Britanica, namely “the ability to adapt effectively to an environment either by making a change in oneself or by changing the environment or finding a new one.” I like the fact that it doesn’t change depending upon whether you are talking about a horse, a dog or a person.
To me, knowledge is the amount of factual information you can remember and pass on. Intelligence, on the other hand, is the ability to gain knowledge (to know where to look, who to ask), to analyse and interpret it (sift the urban legends from the genuine facts, so to speak) and to adapt knowledge to new situations or meanings.