How do you define intelligence?

[Gumbo4x4]

I think intelligence is an ability to learn new things quickly and be able to apply previously learned knowledge to solve new problems. It is the ability to recall relevant information from your mind's database and use it when necessary.


It is the overall strength of mind and awareness of a wide variety of topics pertaining to other places, cultures, and time periods. It is also a general "awareness" of the world and what is going on in it, and the curiosity and motivation to continue learning new things.

I think the first half of your post is spot on. Disagree on the second half.

 

[ols386]

I think with many people, intelligence can come with age, based on real life experience. Or maybe that is wisdom.

 

[aristocatz]

I"m in Gardner's camp of multiple intelligence.

 

[ronandannette]

as long as I can put my shoes on the right feet, I figure I'm doing OK

Step off Cantw8 - I only wore two lefts to work that one time...and in my own defence they were both black patent...

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Common sense is a huge part. Life experience is another.

Academics aren't that important to me. I believe street smarts are more important.

 

[Magpie]

Personally, I think the first Google dictionary definition works best for me:

1. the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

(The second is "the collection of information of military or political value.")

Maybe your talent lies in acquiring and applying academic knowledge. Maybe it's acquiring and applying social knowledge. Maybe it's athletic knowledge, or practical knowledge. Or some combination of any number of them. You can also possess greater or lesser ability, within your particular talent.

One of my particular strengths, for example, is vocabulary. I pick up new words easily, and have no difficulty remembering them. I'm good at digging them up, when I need them.

My husband's strength, conversely, is math. He can do calculations in his head, with a speed and fluency I'll never be able to match. And I tutor kids in math, so I'm working with numbers regularly!

Our son spends a good portion of his time analyzing the people around him, and does it frighteningly well. He's also one of the funniest people I know - an observer of the human condition. I really do think he could go into stand up comedy.

And then there's our daughter, who seems to have inherited all of our combined academic talents. Elementary school was a bit lonely, but university is working out fantastically for her with internships and scholarships, etc. She's what most people consider your classic "genius" - academic, bookish, logical, reserved. (Except that "genius" is what you do, not what you are, and as an undergrad she has yet to make any significant contribution to her field. But I absolutely think it's possible she'll do it, some day!)

There's a huge variety of different kinds of intelligences. Where we get in trouble is when we try to order them into some kind of hierarchy, labeling any one as more significant or more worthy of admiration than another.

 

[pocomom]

I think more than knowledge it is about questioning. Truly intelligent people understand there is always more to learn.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Hard to define. Part of it is a natural ability to learn, to retain information you've learned, and to be able to solve problems. I would say most intelligent people excel in school, however, you can be highly intelligent and also uneducated.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Personally, I think the first Google dictionary definition works best for me:



(The second is "the collection of information of military or political value.")

Maybe your talent lies in acquiring and applying academic knowledge. Maybe it's acquiring and applying social knowledge. Maybe it's athletic knowledge, or practical knowledge. Or some combination of any number of them. You can also possess greater or lesser ability, within your particular talent.

One of my particular strengths, for example, is vocabulary. I pick up new words easily, and have no difficulty remembering them. I'm good at digging them up, when I need them.

My husband's strength, conversely, is math. He can do calculations in his head, with a speed and fluency I'll never be able to match. And I tutor kids in math, so I'm working with numbers regularly!

Our son spends a good portion of his time analyzing the people around him, and does it frighteningly well. He's also one of the funniest people I know - an observer of the human condition. I really do think he could go into stand up comedy.

And then there's our daughter, who seems to have inherited all of our combined academic talents. Elementary school was a bit lonely, but university is working out fantastically for her with internships and scholarships, etc. She's what most people consider your classic "genius" - academic, bookish, logical, reserved. (Except that "genius" is what you do, not what you are, and as an undergrad she has yet to make any significant contribution to her field. But I absolutely think it's possible she'll do it, some day!)

There's a huge variety of different kinds of intelligences. Where we get in trouble is when we try to order them into some kind of hierarchy, labeling any one as more significant or more worthy of admiration than another.

Yes, that definition is a good one.

 

[Disneychick75]

Intelligence, IMO, is having an open mind and the willingness to change ideas when new information comes along.

 

[Luv2Run]

I"m in Gardner's camp of multiple intelligence.

I just came here to say this, too. Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences illustrates that there are many different types of intelligence, not just one all-defining "intelligent". For instance, if someone is mathematically or analytically intelligent, they may not be very intelligent interpersonally (i.e. cannot read others well, cannot relate well to others) or musically intelligent (can't carry a tune in a bucket). There's even a quiz you can take to help determine your intelligence strengths and weaknesses. For me, I scored high in musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligence, but low in existential and logical-mathematical intelligences. Many folks in the psychology world have panned Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences for lack of empirical evidence, but it is still taught in many psychology courses today.

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences (Wiki article on MI)

http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/what-mi-am-i/ (Quiz to identify your MI strengths & weaknesses)

 

[hsmamato2]

I think intelligence is an ability to learn new things quickly and be able to apply previously learned knowledge to solve new problems. It is the ability to recall relevant information from your mind's database and use it when necessary. It is the overall strength of mind and awareness of a wide variety of topics pertaining to other places, cultures, and time periods. It is also a general "awareness" of the world and what is going on in it, and the curiosity and motivation to continue learning new things.

This. IMHO academic scores and high intelligence don't have much to do with each other..... Of course everyone I've ever met has their own 'fields of specialty'-things they excel in naturally...but I took the OP question to be more about how do you value 'high' intelligence,is it only academics,or something else? I know a few people with extremely high IQ scores, and some people learn certain things faster than others. High intelligence,to me is similar to the above quoted, but again, the value of people isn't limited to just that one factor at all.....in fact,I think that one factor is highly overrated in general.

 

[King Schultz]

The ability to comprehend and retain knowledge.

 

[CPanther95]

Knowing what my wife means - even when it doesn't come remotely close to what she is actually saying.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

 

[Liberty Belle]

I do think there are different kinds of intelligence (emotional, academic, etc), but I think the typical kind of intelligence as the ability to process, retain, and use information. So the faster learned, longer retained, and more adeptly applied, the more intelligent.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I have known some really stupid academically advanced people in my life.

And I know some brilliant people who didn't do too well academically.

 

[Disneychick75]

I've been thinking a bit more about this topic. People I know with not more than an elementary education are worth hundreds of millions of dollars and in a couple of cases, billions of dollars. They were innately intelligent and intuitive in the businesses they started.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Knowing what my wife means - even when it doesn't come remotely close to what she is actually saying.

I call that "survival instinct".

 

[CPanther95]

I call that "survival instinct".

For you maybe. It wasn't instinctual at all for me, it was a lot of trial and error - with much, much error.


.... sooooo much error.