Comments on: What is human intelligence?

By: Robin

Robin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:48:20 +0000

Intelligence is not earned but exists in the human brain naturally.
In addition to the abilities already mentioned here I would say it is the ability to generalize from the examples that matters the most.

By: Jonathan B

Jonathan B — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:16:16 +0000

Aldous Huxley… (writer of Doors Of Perception and Brave New World) once said that an intellectual is a person who has discovered something more interesting than sex.

By: kbrahmer

kbrahmer — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:36:16 +0000

You confuse intelligence with instinct on babies suckling. Intelligence is a capacity to learn or understand and the ability to apply that knowledge. All babies are not born with equal brain matter. A difference in size exists between male/female and some races…however, that is not a measurement of intellect.
As far as genetically acquired goes, Albert Einstein himself, acknowledged that no one in his ancestry possessed an intellect that would explain his. There is no logical relationship between reproduction and intelligence.
Your use of terms and the logic of your commentary suggests you would do well to consider your capacity to learn or understand and/or apply knowledge gained, is reflected therein and not favorably.

By: entropiii

entropiii — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:40:34 +0000

That begs the question of “nature” vs. “nuture” – but we cant use your example so litterally because genetics have mixed all sorts of things all over the place with so many variations, despite it’s seemingly oceanic restrictions. We can’t make a realistic comparison of a ‘purely bred’ caucasian in a ‘purely bred’ african enviornmental very accurately because there are actually far more commonalities than there are differences.

Because of this, it makes it far more difficult if not impossible to base the idea of any human disposition on a pre-determined variable.

Intelligence has been litterally defined as ‘the capacity of learning’ – meaning what a person is able to learn and not what level of knowledge they have attained. In the human capacity, then the definition of “human” is the stressor here, which is the very nature of what needs to be examined.

Thus brings us back to the human part of it – which I feel that nature and nuture can both bring very vaid points to the table. But a pre-defined notion… I cant see how such variables can be caluclated in any linear way.

By: Yahoo's Little Helper ?

Yahoo's Little Helper ? — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:51:23 +0000

Umm…let me think..people form intellegence throughout their life.
But don’t forget that some babies are deformed.

And I think you should have put it in simple words instead you know. =]

By: kel

kel — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:14:19 +0000

its simply nature vs nurture

the environment you grow up in affects your intelligence, as well as the resources you can access as your brain develops

ie if you are read to as a child you will more likely love to read than those who aren’t

By: wendy p

wendy p — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 06:12:16 +0000

Successfully intelligent people discern their strengths and weaknesses, and then figure out how to capitalize on their strengths, and to compensate for or remediate their weaknesses. Successfully intelligent individuals succeed in part because they achieve a functional balance among a “triarchy” of abilities:

Analytical Abilities, which are used to analyze, evaluate, judge, compare and contrast;
Creative Abilities, which are used to create, invent, discover, imagine;
Practical Abilities, which are used to apply, utilize, implement, and activate.
Successfully intelligent people are not necessarily high in all three of these abilities, but find a way effectively to exploit whatever pattern of abilities they may have

By: Emmanuel M

Emmanuel M — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:33:58 +0000

Human intelligence is some thing above the animal intelligence it is the drive that make a person to live and strive for survival

By: Pocket Protectorate

Pocket Protectorate — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:43:45 +0000

“Race” has nothing to do with it…

Any “race” can have a “very intelligent brain…”

It’s the “structure” of the brain that determines how “quick and intelligent” it is, and how fast it “gets” concepts upon being exposed to them…(I.Q. tests don’t just test to see if you “get it,” they test to see “how fast you get it…” Big difference…)

Example:

I work in the airline biz, and when you buy a 1 week advance ticket for a cheap price, and then want to change your outbound flight inside a week before departure, you not only have to pay a change fee, you have to pay the difference in the new higher priced fare, because the 1 week price you got is contingent on you “taking your scheduled outbound flight” as originally scheduled…

Some people I talk to on the phone, IMMEDIATELY understand that “higher price difference” concept, and even understand why they have to pay it…

Other people make me spend about 40 minutes explaining it to them, and they still don’t get the concept…

THAT is the difference between “highly intelligent” and “not so intelligent…”

Some brains are more intelligent than others, but…

Intelligence doth not make a person a “better person…”

It simply makes them “smarter…”

And I’d rather deal with a nice dumb one, than a mean smart one…

(And by the way…I’m the nicest and smartest man in the world…hee hee)

By: LabRat

LabRat — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:40:22 +0000

All that stuff is SERIOUSLY busted.

We don’t even know 99% of what’s up in the brain, and until recently women where assumed to be dumber then dudes because their heads where smaller.

If you believe in evolution than the amount of relative time for cultural intelligence is too short, and if you believe in some “Genesis” type stuff, then the time’s waaay too short. (If you allow for any evolution.)