What Is Intelligence?

Intelligence is often confused with a lot of other things. Some believe that they are intelligent because they have a very good memory while others may believe that they are intelligent because they know a lot but I fear neither of the two makes you intelligent. Knowing a lot just comes back to having a good memory.

It is handy to have a good memory and it is handy to know a lot but it is worthless if you cannot apply the knowledge that you have memorized.

Intelligence is the ability to solve new problems with your existing knowledge and thereby gaining new knowledge.

So does intelligence then depend on dexterity? The answer is ‘no’.

It goes about identifying and understanding the problem. Then you have to apply your existing knowledge to solve the new challenge. Whether you solve the problem on your own, or tell somebody else how to remedy the problem is not important. What is important is that the problem was identified and solved.

What is true is that a person with a greater knowledge will appear to have more intelligence than somebody with the same intelligence and a lesser knowledge; simply because he has more to fall back on when new challenges arrive.

On average, we are no more intelligent now than the people who lived 3000 years ago. We only have more technology and therefore more knowledge. In fact, with all the lead and other chemicals we have been exposed to, we may even be less intelligent that 3000 years ago.

Taking a strange object apart and putting it together again requires only a good memory and dexterity. Understanding what it does, how it is done, and how you can use it to your advantage requires intelligence.

But be careful, the very person that you may consider as a dumb a** may be a genius in another field that you could never dream to grasp.


Have a great week.