What is Intelligence (And do we oversell it?)

Assuming that you’re a university student, I don’t think I need to go to any great lengths to explain the massive importance of intelligence (or at least its perception) to our everyday lives. And yet it’s something we know so little about. What is intelligence? What faculties does it include and is it somehow superior or inferior to the other talents we as humans possess? Let’s take a looksie.

At the most fundamental level, intelligence is a problem-solving faculty. Anything capable of reacting to its environment in a way that benefits it. A plant is intelligent because when it feels water underneath it, its roots burrow deeper in that direction and its stem grows to purposefully seek out sunlight. There is however a very clear divide in intelligence between plants and most animals, and (as conceited as it may sound) there is also a notable divide between humans and other animals in terms of intelligence. This is due to the development of more sophisticated and diverse faculties. Beyond simply recognising things that are helpful or harmful, we also possess the ability to remember and recall things, to think logically, to reason inductively and deductively, navigate complex social hierarchies, introspect and a million other things beyond that. Humans, in particular, are capable of an extremely wide range of differing skills when compared to other animals. This is the only thing that has allowed us to get to where we are as a species. So how do we even go about classifying all of these various ideas about intelligence?

To this day there is no single, completely satisfying theory of intelligence that all psychologists agree on. What we do know is that some sort of overarching intelligence does exist. We know it is largely dependent on genetic factors to a considerable extent, as it is dependent on physical properties such as brain volume, speed of neural transmission and working memory capacity. However, our environment and the way we are raised also affect it. A more difficult question to answer is what the umbrella of “intelligence” includes. Some wish to keep it to the straight and narrow academic definition of intelligence (logical thought, spatial reasoning, verbal comprehension, etc.). Others have proposed widening the definition to include other human faculties such as social or emotional intelligence. There is no single accepted theory, but most fall somewhere in between.

Let’s take a quick look at IQ tests now. IQ tests are (surprisingly to me at least) quite reliable and valid, meaning that if you were to take an IQ test multiple times your score would remain fairly consistent and that they actually do correlate to what is viewed as intelligence and not some other factor. However, IQ tests have also been proven to have weaknesses. Most notably not accounting for differing cultural norms of intelligence. The test is based on the white, western concept of academic intelligence, which differs wildly from that of other cultures. Additionally, they fail to account for the extenuating circumstances of test-takers. It has been shown that poor mental health can negatively affect IQ scores and that these tests fall prey to social issues. For instance, many test-takers fear social ostracization due to their potentially higher scores or racial/gender stereotypes come into play causing disadvantaged groups undue stress and lowering their scores unfairly. Regardless, IQ tests have only improved over time and they are accepted as a good indicator of traditional intelligence. Still, a sour taste is left in my mouth and I reckon we need to explore the social connotations of intelligence.

Reason has been the banner under which a million atrocities have been committed. Historically, the belief that women, the less financially fortunate and non-white people are somehow lacking in reason when compared to the rich, white man, has been used to excuse their subjugation, abuse, and control. Many otherwise intelligent philosopher and politician have used this idea to justify slavery, denying women equal rights and so many other things. Unfortunately, this trend continues today. Not as openly or as strongly, but undeniably there. Women being “more emotional” or black people being “less educated”, are beliefs that are widely held in our society and are ultimately incredibly harmful. And all of them are propagated on the platform that the white man’s academic intelligence is the purest form of reason, the singular best form of knowledge. 

This is a predominant view in the West, that has been deeply entrenched in society for thousands of years. The first place (that I can think of) that this view reared its head was perhaps Ancient Greece – a land of education and wisdom, ruled by men, where women and slaves had equally inexistent rights. It was the rich, learned men who were seen as the peak of society, and this view continued to propagate itself through western society, in Ancient Rome and later throughout all of Europe. The view that reason and academia are the greatest faculty, is one that has been repeated to us over and over again by those in power, those it benefits – the “reasoned” men. I find it to be a very counterproductive view. After all, humanity’s greatness as a species stems from the breadth of our talents, not the development of only a single one. We wouldn’t be where we are today if all we possessed was cold, academic reason. It’s played its part undeniably, but only as much as any other human faculty has, and it has unfortunately been twisted and perverted into a fetish that the West can use to dominate others. We need to free academic intelligence from this harmful influence and place it on par with the other human talents once again. Only so can we heal the damage that has been caused in its name.