Intelligence. What do you think of when you read this word? For many people, when this word appears, they think of someone who holds a large amount of knowledge. Is that what you thought when you read that word? I have to admit that I probably would have, but after thinking about it, I would argue a different definition. In my opinion, someone who is intelligent is not simply someone who is full of information. I think it’s more than that. Intelligence relates less to someone’s amount of knowledge and more to their ability to obtain and retain it. I believe intelligence is more of a measure of how well someone learns. What is their capacity for retaining the knowledge that they receive? This is what defines intelligence.
Another inaccurate definition of someone who is intelligent would be their Intelligence Quotient. IQ is not a measure of someone’s intelligence. The IQ tests are inaccurate and only cover a very narrow range of information. Take a look at this IQ Test. All of the questions are true or false and there are only thirty-eight questions. Thirty-eight questions with only two possible answers is far from being an accurate measure of intelligence.
Oftentimes, those who are intelligent (going by my definition) are the people we stereotypically think of as being smart. However, some people are not recognized for being intelligent when they truly are. For example, if there is a girl in my biology class who knows nothing when she enters the class, but remembers the information she is taught and gets quality grades on her tests, then she is most definitely intelligent. She didn’t know the information beforehand, but she was able to process and retain it once she learned it. This, is true intelligence.
Do you have any other ideas? Would you define “intelligence” differently? If so, why? And do you still agree with my definition? Also, what do you think of the IQ Test?
Another inaccurate definition of someone who is intelligent would be their Intelligence Quotient. IQ is not a measure of someone’s intelligence. The IQ tests are inaccurate and only cover a very narrow range of information. Take a look at this IQ Test. All of the questions are true or false and there are only thirty-eight questions. Thirty-eight questions with only two possible answers is far from being an accurate measure of intelligence.
Oftentimes, those who are intelligent (going by my definition) are the people we stereotypically think of as being smart. However, some people are not recognized for being intelligent when they truly are. For example, if there is a girl in my biology class who knows nothing when she enters the class, but remembers the information she is taught and gets quality grades on her tests, then she is most definitely intelligent. She didn’t know the information beforehand, but she was able to process and retain it once she learned it. This, is true intelligence.
Do you have any other ideas? Would you define “intelligence” differently? If so, why? And do you still agree with my definition? Also, what do you think of the IQ Test?