Why?

My interest in this topic stems from a greater fascination with the processes of the human mind (of which intelligence is only one dimension).  Intelligence is what will make all other future advancements possible.  At the time [that I chose this topic], I noted that all of our time in class was being spent on the physical condition. However, our physical selves hold us to one plain, and constrain us to appearances (and physics).  Bodies are vessels.  Slabs of meat.  The mind allows humans to direct their bodies in meaningful ways.  It allows people to transcend the boundaries of physical existence.  Of course, action is necessary to realize what the brain has wrought; thought generally precedes action though both are essential to creation.  A synergy of the two is the subject of intellectual studies--how does intelligence manifest itself to add value to society?  Furthermore, intelligence has long been upheld as evidence of our humanity. It is a quality that we identify as exclusively human.  It is comforting for us to know that there is a clear distinction between us and the common beast.  Intelligence in this sense is not qualitative.  Everyone possesses it albeit in different degrees.

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What?

The study of intelligence has only recently been accepted into the domain of scientific inquiry; falling under the established auspices of psychiatry, neuropsychology, neuroanatomy, etc. However, it maintains attachments with its sociological roots;  now that the field has accepted that intelligence is a combination of both nature and nurture (though nobody can agree on the exact breakdown) scientists have to consider the environment where these genes find expression.

This site will drift between conceptual and operational definitions of intelligence.  The conceptual definition refers to an abstract mental faculty; while the operational deals with human attempts to understand it. 

Distinctions in semantics are important in translating discoveries accurately between professionals as well as to the general public.  A distinctive jargon is what allows professionals to communicate effectively within their field.  Once the discipline has established a vocabulary, it then becomes easier to pass on this information (in bulleted form, of course) to the every man.  Intelligence studies lack this commonality in language; it continues to be a source of division within the discipline. 

Some working definitions of intelligence:

"goal-oriented adapted behavior" (Sternberg)

"cognitive ability" (Herrnstein and Murray)

"... the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment"  (Wechsler)

"adaptation to the physical and social environment" (Piaget)

"To my mind, a human intellectual competence must entail a set of skills of problem solving—enabling the individual to resolve genuine problems or difficulties that he or she encounters and, when appropriate, to create an effective product—and must also entail the potential for finding or creating problems—and thereby laying the groundwork for the acquisition of new knowledge" (Gardner)

Early schools of thought boiled intelligence down to a person's educability.

Two types of intelligence that most professionals agree on:

Ridley calls the study of intelligence, as it exists today, "pseudo-science".

•  This term recognizes the subject's history of wild conjecture, and the continued use of social sciences in its practice. 

Nicholas Lemann refers to IQ as "pop-scientific" in Time magazine's 100.

•  The term has lost much of its credibility through its use in pop culture.

How [ does this connect ]?

The Brain Trust (formerly the perfect genes group)

Intelligence will likely be reevaluated in coming years as a potential candidate for biotechnical enhancement

ie/ how do we define intelligence?  where do we exist within that definition? where do we want to be?

=  what are the means by which we hope to achieve these ends? are they worth it?. 

The best we can hope for at this point is gene therapy for sufferers of dementia and alzheimers. As it is stated in Genome:

“complex interactions between a number of genes”.  Most avenues that are being explored are matters of environment--ways in which we can alter external factors to overcome genetic predetermination. 

Honor210: The Ideal

In class, we drew a picture on the board and identified several aspects of the human condition that contribute to the whole.  Amongst those named was intelligence or the mind.  I want people to view the pursuit of better intelligence as an investment in an ideal.  The subject of intelligence has particular relevance to this course.  Members of this class were accepted into the honors program through a positive assessment of their "intelligence".  Do you feel that the program's system for choosing participants is a valid one?

Emotion

"Some facets of emotional intelligence (nutrition, education, depression) have been proven to reduce IQ up to 25%"

This statistic reflects the conflicting relationship between emotion and the intellect.  In lieu of Enlightenment thinking, emotion has been portrayed as the antagonist of the intellect.  Emotion undermines intelligence, making smart people do stupid things out of devotion to their feelings.  However, this figure suggests that people need to do more to accommodate their emotional side .  It is significant that people are now acknowledging emotional behavior as a type of intelligence.

Questions for consideration:

Is intelligence a fixed aptitude or is there a dormant potential that everyone possesses?

Can intelligence be quantified?

Who are some individuals that represent for you the highest forms of human intelligence?

More people are being educated at a higher level in more specialized areas which some people point to as evidence of an increased intellectual aptitude.  On the other hand, we have all read Amusing Ourselves to Death where Postman asserts the dumbing down of culture.  So which is it?

Causality: does mental illness confer certain intellectual advantages?  Or is the genius more amenable to insanity?

If we were to eliminate mental illness at the physiological level, how could we control for environmental factors?

Human Intelligence-Indiana University

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