Quantifying Intelligence
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In a world where we ascribe quantities to everything, it’s common to venture into the realm of intangibles. For example, it’s easy to say that “I’m richer than him”, for one’s bank account balance could easily illustrate this claim. There are concrete measurements to ascertain one’s wealth, and this can be directly compared to another’s. However, how do we make similar claims about abstract traits like intelligence?
I’ve heard way too many of these faulty and unprovable comparisons:
- Girl A is so much “smarter” than Girl B.
- Boy A might not be the “smartest” person around, but he has a lot of “street smarts.”
What does this even mean? Hasn’t anyone ever heard that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” If this is true (which I believe it is), then why can’t it also be extrapolated to intelligence too? It should be! Intelligence is an especially touchy subject. We all constantly pit our wits against each other competing for recognition, the best jobs, etc. At the same time, we like to think that intelligence manifests itself in two forms – “book smarts” and “street smarts.” Again, what does this mean? If you ask me, it’s just an excuse. Those who aren’t as gifted in the classroom will naturally claim that they possess skills elsewhere – in this case, perhaps social abilities. I’ve never heard a brilliant classroom student claim that they lack such skills. At the same time, I’m strongly against the notion that one’s intellect is largely based on genetics. A little? Sure. But genetics are no where near as important as one’s motivation to succeed. You can’t teach someone to study hard. No amount of parenting can force a child to be passionate about academics. Only the student can.
So again I ask… how do we measure such abstract traits like intelligence? Not by IQ tests. Not by GPA’s. Not by test scores in general. And most importantly, not by what other people’s perceptions are. We measure it by how well each of us uses our upbringing. This implies that the meaning of “intelligence” is highly variable, but regardless, it illustrates how we cannot define a concrete way of measuring it. Consequently, comparing one individual’s intellect to another’s is inherently flawed. I know many people who’ve been privileged with incredible gifts, but fail to use them to their maximum potential. Rather than embracing their abilities, they waste time pursuing pleasure. It’s another reason why I believe a single person is capable of inconceivable accomplishment, but people are infinite pools of ignorance. But anyways, back to the topic.
The only, indisputable way of claiming that you are “intelligent” is that you can genuinely say that you’ve made the most out of your upbringing. Coming from a relatively privileged upbringing, I had little excuse NOT to strive for perfection in my undergrad studies, but there are others who have to work for their education, raise a family, etc. While they may not have a stellar GPA, they have what others like to call “street smarts” but what I call “common sense.” That’s funny to me… we call it “common sense” when in reality, it’s not all that common. I guess I’m just sick of science students comparing GPAs and grad school entrance exam scores with each other trying to assess how they rank amongst their peers. This isn’t the way adcoms do it, and it shouldn’t be the way we compare ourselves to each other. A lot more goes into being “intelligent” than having great numbers.
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Published: 3 years, 1 month ago
That is a very good question Rishi which beg me to ask this question: If you tree fall in the wood and there is no one there to hear it will it make a sound. I think the same thing could go for intelligent. Intelligent is consider intelligent only if it benefit the society.
Many people consider doctors to be one of the smartest people around this is because their knowledge in medicine serve as a benefit in society by saving lives. Poltician are also consider to be intelligence that is because their knowledge in politics and foregin policy keep us save. However let just said if the world was full of healthy people would our knowledge in medicne be consider to be intelligence or would we be consider on of those people with usless knowledge like people who had knowledge about movie stars lives since it does not serve purpose or benefit the society.
Published: 3 years, 1 month ago
I think I am “Boy A”. I think that being human alone is enough to say that you are intelligent, just by being the dominating species. I do believe there is a genetic factor which favors some people to be more intelligent than others. For example, a higher number of NMDA receptors in the CNS have been shown to be in “smarter people”, according to Hopp. Also, if you have a photographic memory, than you have a huge advantage over other people in the classroom. Environmentally, there could be places that are “hot spots” for the upbringing of geniuses. Like Germany and Japan, for example. Everybody wants to be recognized as intelligent, but the masses are truly ignorant, with many thinking that they are smart. Smart will never go out of style. “Street smarts” is the same as common sense, definetely. I have a brother who always brags about his street smarts, and yeah, I can give that to him, I frankly do not care. But there is some truth in it, I know this smart guy that doesn’t even know how to change a flat tire. That is sad. Intelligent people cannot be intelligent at everything, though most like to think so. There are limits to everyone.
Its is true, nobody can force you to become smart, a boy or girl have to like academics on their own. Honor Rolls did it for me, that motivated me to get them all the time, and I only slowed down when I hit puberty and started noticing girls. Aside from certain “genetic” factors, I also believe a student has the edge if he comes from a priviledged home and if he/she has been in private schools all their life. If a student in college has never had to do a hard day’s labor in their life thanks to their parents, then it is a shame NOT to be summa cum laude. Hell, if I was in that position, I would take advantage and excel, but I was dealt a different hand. Am I sour at that? No. It has actually helped mold me into the individual I am today, and the glory much more rewarding. In my case, I work my ass off, help my family, pay my school, and still keep up with many of the best students that have never had much hardship, and have all the time in the world to focus on school. I am proud of that. As you say, some people give in to the pursuit of pleasure, and that is sad. Lack of physically demanding labor doesn’t take away any merit of “true” smart people, however. Everybody looks up to Rishi, Humair, Jonathan, Sai, to the point that it must become annoying to you guys. I try not to annoy anybody, just have discussions. To have all those HBU people in your business, I mean. Me? I have only ever considered myself mildly intelligent. I am much more curious than “smart”. I do try to surround myself with people that are smarter than myself so I can learn off of them. Glenn Seaborg did something similar like this all his life, working with people much more talented than himself like- G.N. Lewis, Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Arthur Compton, Ernest Lawrence, etc., and the man got very far. Not that I am implying that I am a Seaborg, of course. IQ tests and MCATS and GPAs are numbers that can hint at the level of intelligence some people have, but we shouldn’t put too much weigh into that. I firmly believe it is what you do out in the real world that counts. Did Einstein and Feynman get As in every school subject? No. They were just extremely, extremely good in very few areas, physics and maybe writing. Think about it from this angle: It is something akin to a college football player winning the Heisman Trophy. The best football player in college is not necessarily the best player coming in the NFL. Where is Reggie Bush or Vince Young? What I am trying to say is, smart people should never stop at the glory of undergraduate studies and shall continually prove themselves in the real world. That is my mission in life, and I KNOW that is yours too. Great post, Rishi. =)
Published: 3 years, 1 month ago
@ fyfyvay: Yes, the tree would still make a sound. Babies are born every second, but since we’re not there to actually witness the event, is it fair for us to say that they were never born? Of course not.
Looking forward to you receiving an acceptance letter/phone call for yourself, buddy!
@ Oscar: I totally agree… except about the admiration part, haha. There are lots of people who get looked up to for different reasons. As far as medical school, yes, we all got in somewhere. Many may consider this sole accomplishment worthy of admiration, but in reality, our intelligence is rooted in the journey rather than the destination.