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What makes a person "intelligent?"

When it comes to intelligence, many people reference IQ. But, as I've said many times before it's not a complete picture of intelligence. IQ tests were designed to determine services for people who have low intellect.

There are so many different ways to be intelligent. I'm not sure it's all quantifiable. Such as the child that can pitch a ball with speed and precision, the ability to sense emotions, or just general social skills often go unmeasured.

And, I often hear people say they know someone is intelligent. Sometimes, I think people use it to say "I agree with this person."

So, how do you decide whether or not you think a person is intelligent?

silvereyes 8 Mar 12
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42 comments (26 - 42)

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2

I've always viewed it as having the ability to adapt.

SamL Level 7 Mar 13, 2018
2

They must be if I like them. Just thought this was a funny answer. As you state there are so many levels tha go into measuring intelligence and all that you mention are good. I include kindness,respect,tolerance, a knowledge of many areas,well read, able to speak well and explain their position on matters logically.

2

We live in different environments . I think a person is intelligent if they can succeessfully navigate the environment they're in , or perhaps move to an environment where they can be more sucessful . A fish doesn't need a bicycle , as they say . The IQ tests are based largly on , " book learning , " which can be very useful and can help a person succeed in higher level environments , where they can get higher paying careers - programmers , computer experts , lawyers , doctors , actors , etc. Lower paying jobs , waitresses , garbage collectors , are physically demanding , yet repiticious and don't require a higher education . Some jobs , can begin as lower paying jobs , and you can advance to better paying jobs , by acquiring a higher education , which , in general , requires reading .

2

"There are so many different ways to be intelligent." Can you post a link to a study that gives evidence of that...or is that just a platutude?

@silvereyes I never considered "Kinesthetic (body)" ability to be an "intelligence". I have seen too many good athletes who appeared to be unintelligent. Perhaps the word "intelligent" is much like the word "pornography"...in that like the old quote goes: "I cannot define pornography, but I know it when I see it."

For me, the score on an I.Q. test, albeit subjective, is a good enough as a pragmatic system. Case in point, if I were an employer and wanted intelligent people to perform some complicated task, I would conduct I.Q. tests as part of the interview process...I would be totally unconcerned about athletic or musical ability.

2

Metacognition, curiosity. Other strong indicators..they've kept a journal from childhood, tend to be slightly OCD, often on the autistic spectrum, unconcerned with the opinions of others as they pursue their obsessive interests, usually cynical, skeptical, often atheist, often strong readers from an early age, think out of the box, usually humorous.

2

IQ tests were for children. French children to be precise. [123test.com]

@silvereyes So high IQ also indicates laziness? hahaha

@bingst I'm probably a genius then!

1

The wise use of knowledge in comparison to ones peers. Believing in as many true things as possible, while diligently trying to reaffirm truths and eliminate falsehoods. When faced with insufficient evidence simple says I" don't know" or "I have reasonable doubt" and continues to seek answers if it is personally warranted. Also the ability to reason through problems, extrapolate and arrive at solutions that are more accurate than random chance

1

IQ ,common sense and self awareness are a big part of it as well as awareness of others around you too.

1

appropriateness, utility, lucidity, critical thinking and condemning magical thinking all lead me to recognize intelligence from others

1

For me it is the ability to learn and retain knowledge.

1

Results

jeffy Level 7 Mar 13, 2018
1

stupid people !

1

The ability to process data. That's it in a nut shell, but it unpackages into many different sub categories. Generally, it's not what you know, but how you know it.

1

AI (artifical intelligence ) has struggled with this same question. Must we add humanism like empathy and sympathy. When is a word better not spoken. When is it the right time to speak. To know the diffrence between good and evil. Sometimes it is better to listen.Some won't your advice, some do not. Is intuition intelligence or Something some humans are more aware of. There is a lot to consider when we design AI. And just maybe this will help us to understand intellence in humans.

0

I think there are different types of intelligence. I think being able to read, comprehend, study, and retain information on multiple topics makes one intelligent but I also feel inherent intelligence comes more from learning from all situations and retaining that knowledge.

I rarely find both types in the same person. When I do, I'm delighted. I'm not a well read person because I don't learn that way. I'd rather meet a person that read something and can explain it through their filter for me to absorb. Seeing their passion for a thing helps me not only retain but enjoy learning about a thing.

0

Well what you listed are special skills and talents really. Intelligence is more like wisdom, street and book smarts, common sense and the like. Thing like cunning and creativity sort of straddle the line I think, though...hm. Ah yes, self-awareness is definitely big, and ability to discuss things reasonably even when your opinions may differ greatly. Though things can and do get in the way of that (I am guilty of this too often), such as various mental illnesses and anger issues, and often young age.
Your second to last sentence is...phew! Absolutely, people do that. And they also tend to think they're smart when it's far more likely they're just average, or sometimes even below.

0

I'm not smart enough to figure that out.

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