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Yes, exactly. I would go further and say generalizing intelligence, even types of it like wisdom, is one of the most pervasive-yet-close-to-meaningless concepts
by wallace_f 9y ago
Yes, exactly. I would go further and say generalizing intelligence, even types of it like wisdom, is one of the most pervasive-yet-close-to-meaningless concepts that exists.
Maybe we say the one who went to Harvard--even assuming the rare case they got in on academic merit alone as a particularly incredible prodigy--may have fantastic mathematical ability, but not have ability or willingness to socially adapt or even contribute constructively to society (Ted Kacznyski). In other words, is there positive value in saying he was particularly intelligent rather than good at math and academic coursework, etc?
There are infinite other examples: one can be good at engineering, and bad at writing, etc.
Granted there are in fact those with more intellectual horsepower, but everyone has it in a different variety. Then their different experiences, skills and knowledge shape them as a different person.
The misleading nature of our thinking about particular ability and abstracting that into a concept of intelligence appears to also be part of human's arrogance in their egos. Hubris is something very human that we collectively get caught up in. The reality is we are all bad thinkers relative to omniscience. Arguably the greatest scientist, Newton, had plenty of crazy ideas about secret messages in the bible, and alchemy, etc., and it's not that he was stupid or illogical, it's that he had different mind that existed in a different environment, as we all do.
We also have extremely stupid ideas that people in the future will look back on in the same way, and ask themselves "why were they so smart, yet so stupid?"