What makes someone intelligent?

[Humonic]

I guess it's all subjective, so in your opinion what makes somebody intelligent?

Can 'intelligent' really define a person? 

 

You can be intelligent is some areas and completely incompetent in others so are you actually intelligent or just intelligent in certain areas?

 

I've seen a Brain surgeon who hates gay people because they're gay. What is that? A stupid intelligent person? Surely that person knows being Gay is natural and biological and instead of agreeing with that, instead throws away the facts and continues to believe what they believe contrary to the evidence. They aren't ignorant at that point, because they've been presented the facts and they've chosen to disagree. 

Surely that makes them stupid? Yet they're a brain surgeon, surely that makes them intelligent? Are they stupid and intelligent?

 

In my opinion an intelligent person is someone who is open to learning new ways of thinking about and going about things, someone who seeks knowledge and someone who can use common sense and just plain logic in most situations. If I had to use intelligent to define someone, I use intelligent to define someone like that.

 

Even then I don't think you can call somebody intelligent, because there's just so many layers to it.

 

Can you call someone intelligent?

If you do define someone as intelligent, what do you mean by that?

What makes someone intelligent?

 

I won't be surprised if I don't get many responses, I'm just trying to help start a discussion, sorry if my contribution is lame haha. I tried. 

 

[Xxleonardo97xX]

I'm intelligent, right?

 

Being intelligent is being able to deal with every situation the most reasonable way possible, not memorizing everything but memorizing the right things to apply to everything.

 

Also, in order to be intelligent you must have a constant critic attitude, you can't simply think something is correct just because someone else told you so, you need to think for yourself

[supabaron]

A lot of people in the world who are regarded as intelligent are really not.

 

Social Awareness which a lot of people seem to not have is a major requirement to be intelligence or somewhat capable of being competent.

[DEMON]

Technically I wouldn't consider anyone stupid if they say they hated a certain group of people (unless you know, they say they hate everyone or were stupid).. that is just a personal opinion of theirs and none of my business really, everyone has something that some people would have to disagree with.

 

Intelligent to me is that you want to keep learning and bettering yourself.  I do a lot of drawing, I never have considered my drawing to be great or anything, people around me says its great and don't know what my problem is, the issue is, that I will always see errors and want to fix those errors.  Stupid to me, is like looking at something you drew and not seeing a single error, saying that it's awesome and end of story then crying about it when someone comes and gives advice (that person is only trying to help, not attacking you).

 

Yea, probably no one besides people who draw and stuff is going to understand my example lol

[JaM]

first... this is me after reading your thoughts for the first time:

 

 

 

if you ask me what intelligence or what makes someone intelligent is during my school days... I would probably answer you the know-it-all people that are good in memorizing all sort of stuff being thought to us...

 

but if you ask me now.... hmmm... actually I am not sure, I think i can call someone intelligent if he/she could answer all the questions I ask.... someone that can adapt to their environment with no problem... someone that could think of solutions to problems in a snap... someone that could easily get or learn or master the stuff that has just been taught to them.... honestly, I really don't know what is the basis of the intelligence... in your example, I really could not tell if you can call him/her an intelligent person just because he/she is a brain surgeon... I couldn't also tell that he/she is a stupid person for hating gay people... someone that couldn't accept stuff around them isn't stupidity, if it's their belief... I don't call it stupidity... I could call it maybe a close-minded person that wouldn't listen to reasons.... true that it is said that one basis of being intelligence is to learn from new things in your environment, but IMO standing in your belief (that for sure that has been taught/told to you) isn't stupidity either... you could disagree to what I've said but that's my belief... call me stupid.. I don't care

[Humonic]

Technically I wouldn't consider anyone stupid if they say they hated a certain group of people (unless you know, they say they hate everyone or were stupid).. that is just a personal opinion of theirs and none of my business really, everyone has something that some people would have to disagree with.

 

Intelligent to me is that you want to keep learning and bettering yourself.  I do a lot of drawing, I never have considered my drawing to be great or anything, people around me says its great and don't know what my problem is, the issue is, that I will always see errors and want to fix those errors.  Stupid to me, is like looking at something you drew and not seeing a single error, saying that it's awesome and end of story then crying about it when someone comes and gives advice (that person is only trying to help, not attacking you).

 

Yea, probably no one besides people who draw and stuff is going to understand my example lol

My 'stupid' point, wasn't the fact that the brain surgeon hated gay people for being gay, it was the fact that even with all the evidence telling him he's wrong and being gay is natural, he still frowns upon it and calls it unnatural.

Surely that's what makes someone somewhat stupid? Just ignoring facts and evidence, saying it's wrong simply because they're extremely closed minded it doesn't support their point of view.

 

Is looking at something and saying it's awesome when it could be total shit, stupidity? Or ignorance? 

Most humans think they're better than average at everything lol, even things they haven't tried yet. Ignorance is bliss lol right?

I get your drawing thing, I can relate to, I used to draw graffiti, not on walls lol and my friends and classmates would always comment on how good it was, but I was never happy and always striving to improve and be the best that I could be at it. I don't think what you're feeling or what I felt was wrong or silly in anyway, in fact I think it's the opposite, I think it's that kind of attitude that makes people great at things, never being content, if everyone was just content with the first draft so to speak, humans would still be cave people lol

it's just a hunger and a drive to be and do better. 

 

If people can't take constructive criticism and get offended when you give them some, I don't know that makes them? Stupid? I don't know. Soft and maybe a little immature, perhaps. 

first... this is me after reading your thoughts for the first time:

 

 

 

if you ask me what intelligence or what makes someone intelligent is during my school days... I would probably answer you the know-it-all people that are good in memorizing all sort of stuff being thought to us...

 

but if you ask me now.... hmmm... actually I am not sure, I think i can call someone intelligent if he/she could answer all the questions I ask.... someone that can adapt to their environment with no problem... someone that could think of solutions to problems in a snap... someone that could easily get or learn or master the stuff that has just been taught to them.... honestly, I really don't know what is the basis of the intelligence... in your example, I really could not tell if you can call him/her an intelligent person just because he/she is a brain surgeon... I couldn't also tell that he/she is a stupid person for hating gay people... someone that couldn't accept stuff around them isn't stupidity, if it's their belief... I don't call it stupidity... I could call it maybe a close-minded person that wouldn't listen to reasons.... true that it is said that one basis of being intelligence is to learn from new things in your environment, but IMO standing in your belief (that for sure that has been taught/told to you) isn't stupidity either... you could disagree to what I've said but that's my belief... call me stupid.. I don't care

 

I like your answer, some things you brought up are certainly things I've never thought about, although surely being closed minded in your beliefs and not accepting facts and evidence that go against your beliefs, just because they go against your beliefs, surely makes you stupid?

For example, some people today still believe the earth is flat and that the "evidence" proving the earth is round is all part of a global conspiracy.

That's pretty crazy right? Surely those people are a little stupid haha. 

[DEMON]

My 'stupid' point, wasn't the fact that the brain surgeon hated gay people for being gay, it was the fact that even with all the evidence telling him he's wrong and being gay is natural, he still frowns upon it and calls it unnatural.

Surely that's what makes someone somewhat stupid? Just ignoring facts and evidence, saying it's wrong simply because they're extremely closed minded it doesn't support their point of view.

 

Is looking at something and saying it's awesome when it could be total shit, stupidity? Or ignorance? 

Most humans think they're better than average at everything lol, even things they haven't tried yet. Ignorance is bliss lol right?

I get your drawing thing, I can relate to, I used to draw graffiti, not on walls lol and my friends and classmates would always comment on how good it was, but I was never happy and always striving to improve and be the best that I could be at it. I don't think what you're feeling or what I felt was wrong or silly in anyway, in fact I think it's the opposite, I think it's that kind of attitude that makes people great at things, never being content, if everyone was just content with the first draft so to speak, humans would still be cave people lol

it's just a hunger and a drive to be and do better. 

 

If people can't take constructive criticism and get offended when you give them some, I don't know that makes them? Stupid? I don't know. Soft and maybe a little immature, perhaps. 

 

It's still their own point of view.  Maybe they have beliefs of some kind? I just don't like getting involved in stuff like that, so I overlook it, so long as you aren't trying to convince me to hate them also I don't really care what your opinion is like.

 

I guess it's more of an ignorance issue, but that does lead to stupidity, if people never aimed to better themselves, we won't get anymore intelligent than we are now.

 

I feel as if it's kind of stupid if you can't take it, especially if you asked for my honest opinion on your work, I have had a few asked me to comment on their work and if there was anything to fix in it, basically I was completely honest, said about things like "eyes aren't even, head's a bit big for the body and so on", I have got completely blown up on for that by a few people (that asked as I keep my mouth shut otherwise).

Edited June 15, 2014 by Demon

[JaM]

My 'stupid' point, wasn't the fact that the brain surgeon hated gay people for being gay, it was the fact that even with all the evidence telling him he's wrong and being gay is natural, he still frowns upon it and calls it unnatural.

Surely that's what makes someone somewhat stupid? Just ignoring facts and evidence, saying it's wrong simply because they're extremely closed minded it doesn't support their point of view.

 

Is looking at something and saying it's awesome when it could be total shit, stupidity? Or ignorance? 

Most humans think they're better than average at everything lol, even things they haven't tried yet. Ignorance is bliss lol right?

I get your drawing thing, I can relate to, I used to draw graffiti, not on walls lol and my friends and classmates would always comment on how good it was, but I was never happy and always striving to improve and be the best that I could be at it. I don't think what you're feeling or what I felt was wrong or silly in anyway, in fact I think it's the opposite, I think it's that kind of attitude that makes people great at things, never being content, if everyone was just content with the first draft so to speak, humans would still be cave people lol

it's just a hunger and a drive to be and do better. 

 

If people can't take constructive criticism and get offended when you give them some, I don't know that makes them? Stupid? I don't know. Soft and maybe a little immature, perhaps. 

 

I like your answer, some things you brought up are certainly things I've never thought about, although surely being closed minded in your beliefs and not accepting facts and evidence that go against your beliefs, just because they go against your beliefs, surely makes you stupid?

For example, some people today still believe the earth is flat and that the "evidence" proving the earth is round is all part of a global conspiracy.

That's pretty crazy right? Surely those people are a little stupid haha. 

I must admit, that global conspiracy part makes me think it is a little stupid... but well... belief itself didn't came out of nowhere in one's mind.. someone must have taught/told them what to believe to... that knowledge taught/told to them became belief... so still not stupidity for me

 

strange though... just remembered an example of belief vs. science... the great debate where human came from

[Humonic]

It's still their own point of view.  Maybe they have beliefs of some kind? I just don't like getting involved in stuff like that, so I overlook it, so long as you aren't trying to convince me to hate them also I don't really care what your opinion is like.

 

I guess it's more of an ignorance issue, but that does lead to stupidity, if people never aimed to better themselves, we won't get anymore intelligent than we are now.

 

I feel as if it's kind of stupid if you can't take it, especially if you asked for my honest opinion on your work, I have had a few asked me to comment on their work and if there was anything to fix in it, basically I was completely honest, said about things like "eyes aren't even, head's a bit big for the body and so on", I have got completely blown up on for that by a few people (that asked as I keep my mouth shut otherwise).

Hmm yeah that's pretty silly lol, at that point they aren't for your opinion, they're asking for you to compliment their work haha.

Religious beliefs play a huge part of it, for sure. Still though, religious or not, you can't reject the facts, when you do that, you become stupid.

At least in my opinion.

[DEMON]

Hmm yeah that's pretty silly lol, at that point they aren't for your opinion, they're asking for you to compliment their work haha.

Religious beliefs play a huge part of it, for sure. Still though, religious or not, you can't reject the facts, when you do that, you become stupid.

At least in my opinion.

 

Well, think of it this way, we all do some things that others will consider stupid.  I don't drink at all (alcohol), some people consider that very stupid as they don't see how I can possibly have fun or that I'm missing out, I just don't drink, never have and never have wanted to.

[Humonic]

I must admit, that global conspiracy part makes me think it is a little stupid... but well... belief itself didn't came out of nowhere in one's mind.. someone must have taught/told them what to believe to... that knowledge taught/told to them became belief... so still not stupidity for me

 

strange though... just remembered an example of belief vs. science... the great debate where human came from

Surely it's your beliefs that define you as stupid though? The brain surgeons belief that certain tools make performing brain surgery easier and more safe. It's also the brain surgeons belief that being gay is unnatural. So his beliefs his medical field make him intelligent, but then his beliefs when it comes to gay people make him stupid (in this context, we've already established that the surgeon has seen/heard all the evidence one would need to accept the fact that being gay is natural and biological, but still he rejects it) so for that he's stupid right? His beliefs in certain areas make him intelligent and stupid at the same time.

If he thought being gay was unnatural and he had never saw facts and evidence refuting that, then at that point, he's not stupid, he's just ignorant, but in this case he heard it all and rejected it, so surely that's stupid? Surely his beliefs make him intelligent and stupid, even so what do you call him? Intelligent or stupid haha.

Well, think of it this way, we all do some things that others will consider stupid.  I don't drink at all (alcohol), some people consider that very stupid as they don't see how I can possibly have fun or that I'm missing out, I just don't drink, never have and never have wanted to.

I don't drink or do any drugs lol, if people considered me stupid for that, well that's their opinion, they're welcome too it.

I think stupid is used with two definitions at this point, 

1. Lacking intelligence.

2. Really silly. 

So someone might thing we're stupid i.e really silly for not drinking, because think of the fun we're missing but I don't think they think we're literally lacking intelligence for not drinking haha.

 

And yes people think other people are stupid (really silly) for things they do or believe all the time, I guess that's human nature lol. 

I'm intelligent, right?

 

Being intelligent is being able to deal with every situation the most reasonable way possible, not memorizing everything but memorizing the right things to apply to everything.

 

Also, in order to be intelligent you must have a constant critic attitude, you can't simply think something is correct just because someone else told you so, you need to think for yourself

Good points.  I personally agree for the most part.

[Beyondthegrave07]

I think intelligence is the lack of ignorance. If you're able to see every situation clearly for what it is and are able to make logical conclusions, I'd say you'd be as intelligent as they come.

Pretty vague, I know, but intelligence can't simply be measured by a standardized IQ test.

Edited June 15, 2014 by Beyondthegrave07

[Yami]

To me, intelligence is being able to see what the key principles of humanity are and why we humans are different from other animals. It is being able to see what the most important things in life are. And nowadays, it is being able to see what is wrong in and with the world...

If I ever meet a man/woman who can tell me what the purpose of his/her life is, I will have met a VERY wise/smart/intelligent person

[c0ldbludedkillah]

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination" - Albert Einstein 

[JaM]

Surely it's your beliefs that define you as stupid though? The brain surgeons belief that certain tools make performing brain surgery easier and more safe. It's also the brain surgeons belief that being gay is unnatural. So his beliefs his medical field make him intelligent, but then his beliefs when it comes to gay people make him stupid (in this context, we've already established that the surgeon has seen/heard all the evidence one would need to accept the fact that being gay is natural and biological, but still he rejects it) so for that he's stupid right? His beliefs in certain areas make him intelligent and stupid at the same time.

If he thought being gay was unnatural and he had never saw facts and evidence refuting that, then at that point, he's not stupid, he's just ignorant, but in this case he heard it all and rejected it, so surely that's stupid? Surely his beliefs make him intelligent and stupid, even so what do you call him? Intelligent or stupid haha.

well I think that's what oxymoron is for... you can call him/her a intelligent stupid or vice versa

 

well.. if you think he's stupid then go ahead call him/her stupid... well still not in my POV... i just call him/her an intelligent surgeon ignoring the facts/stuff being shown to him/her or an intelligent surgeon standing/believing in his belief...

[coldkillaaaaaaaa]

Intelligence may come in various forms, including musical composition, artistic vision, among other things. Never mistake knowledge for intelligence, every human has a sub-conscious which is able to store incredibly vast amounts of knowledge, but those who can access that knowledge and apply it to practical situations may be considered intelligent. Personally, I think a strong sign of intelligence is the deep thinkers who are constantly coming up with new ideas to better society and enhance it.

[Kyomi-Okami]

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid -Albert Einstein

 

also people who quote Einstein ... pretty darn intelligent

[DEMON]

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid -Albert Einstein

 

also people who quote Einstein ... pretty darn intelligent

 

[RedEye420]

Intelligence is as intelligence does.

Edited June 16, 2014 by RedEye420

[Arkthur]

My 'stupid' point, wasn't the fact that the brain surgeon hated gay people for being gay, it was the fact that even with all the evidence telling him he's wrong and being gay is natural, he still frowns upon it and calls it unnatural.

 

In all fairness, it is unnatural. It is in our nature to breed, you can't breed while having sex with someone of your same gender. That makes it unnatural behavior. I'm not applying any moral statement here, just stating the facts.

 

Now, onto the original topic. Intelligence? I guess it's how easy you can use your thoughts, memories and skills to solve a problem. But the diversity of said problems is what makes it such a broad term. 

[A12]

A realization of the fact that it is, only a word.

[AssassinShadow56]

I think that what makes a person "intelligent" is pacience, and not being a grammar nazi. I am a very pacient and calm person so in whenever a situation happens, I just stay calm and keep doing whatever I was doing/helping to end that bad situation, without raging and swearing.

What I found that was a good way to keep calm was to play "The Impossible Game", sure, the game is hard and nearly Impossible but a man/woman/whoever said it, said that who waits always gets what he wants (Dont mind the if some words are misspelled, I am not english).

[Lion-Lhasa]

As a lot of people say, it can't really be measured.

What you can judge is how intelligent someones attitude is.

 

It's like when people say ''dn't mnd teh misspellingz I iz not Inglish, stoopid grmmr nazzi''.

It's not really relevant whether or not you are English, Americans are not English and yet they can speak/write/read it. but it's the attitude of wanting to learn.

(Plus no one really cares and I think it's pretty much assumed you're not a native speaker nowadays).

I once knew a Dutch guy who wanted people to correct his spelling and grammar because he wanted to get better at it.

 

I understand some people feel like it's an attack on them but implying you don't care or get offended comes across as arrogance and arrogance is what comes across as stupidity.

[ROBOCRIPPLE_]

Everybody wants to learn, but not work on it.

 

To me, intelligence is being able to think rationally, logically, and critically and being able to solve a problem given your knowledge, the situation, the environment, your strengths/weaknesses, etc. Intelligence is not the same as knowledge or open-mindedness.

 

For example, if you want to get better at something, you think of and look for ways and take the path that is better for you to take. Also, the brain surgeon's unwillingness to believe that homosexuality is caused naturally rather than the choice of LGBT people is not stupidity; it was only his belief or he was closed-minded. Actually doing the job of brain surgery is a sign of intelligence.

 

Sometimes I think I'm stupid because of my inability to learn a lot of course material for exams due to poor language-processing, my lack of skill in certain video games, my poor motor skills, my inability to process language as well as most people, my inability to take multiple things/tasks in mind, my tendency to panic and scream like a child every time I only keep failing in something, and the fact that I give up too easily. But, I'm open-minded. What I can do, however, is do well in college math and level designing in games like LocoRoco and LittleBigPlanet. I actually have the patience to design a level or a map rather than to improve my skill in a fighting game. I also think differently than most people. All because I have autism. I look at other people doing well in Halo, college, university, art, coding, etc. and juggling multiple tasks well and they all amaze me.

Edited June 23, 2014 by ROBOCRIPPLE_

[Welmosca]

Not being ignorant....plus a shitload of knowledge and wisdom.