Discussion of the Day
What is Intelligence to You?
Christina C 46645622-May-23
Do you strictly prefer the IQ system or do you value other factors more like social intelligence, quick thinking ability, an amazing memory, possessing highly specialised skills or knowledge, creativity level, or a general knowledge champion etc?
I was discussing with someone who resonates with the IQ system and believes people are born with intelligence, but I feel intelligence is mostly acquired over time. The way I see it is that no one can be a BMX champion in a day the first time they hop on a bike, but some may have natural athletic ability which would help them get further, however it's genuine passion and grit that will propel people to become masters of a subject.
What are your thoughts?
Comments
  • street smarts and experience...
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    • So here's a question... If you can teach an orangutan sign language but you can't teach a human to orangutan, what does that say about our intelligence?
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      • Your dumb
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      • Christina C 466456Lee b 979050
        Lol yeah that's probably mostly true. Especially considering I can't orangutan or sign language so there ya go. There's always room for improvement.
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    • I believe there is a mixture of genetical and environmental factors to consider a person to be more or less intelligent, and the IQ test should not be the single tool to measure the level of intelligence, that is just not smart. Also, each society value certain ideas differently and it is possible to be a top IQ person in a cultural society and to be considered as a low IQ for another different culture.
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      • Definitely agree with that. We can't use one tool (IQ system) to cover all grounds (intelligence sectors) as it is so diverse and many factors are involved.
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    • I agree with what you said Christina, I don't think much of the IQ system..
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      • Practice
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        • intelligence is your willingness to accept change, develop the skill of listening, trust in the wisdom of the ages and never stop the willingness to learn
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          • When it comes to intelligence, my theory is the best strategy is to play dumb, that way people don’t see you as a threat and you can get away with murder almost..
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            • View all 4 replies
            • Yup that is true. Tall poppy syndrome is everywhere.
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            • Hot tip ..be blonde :))
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            • Pato Lo DuckLiane H
              Or even better, be a blonde with hot tips..
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            • Liane H Pato Lo Duck
              Touche !
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          • Common sense I think
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            • I guess you’re born with it. There are so many different “forms” of intelligence, it is complex and beautiful - the opposite, plain dumbness, is something which is simply dangerous in my opinion.
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              • I think intelligence is just common sense - rational thinking without bias.
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                • Intelligence is understanding, and using that understanding effectively.
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                  • Everyone is born with an IQ and you can either expand it or shrink it. The truth is that my generation has on average a higher IQ than each generation since 1975. Before that year IQ's were growing but since 1975 they have been shrinking. And it isn't because people are born with lower IQ's is simply a matter of not using what you have been given. Scientists have levelled the blame on 3 things, lower educational standards, less reading and too much reliance on technology. When I read the article I wasn't a bit surprised because I had already come to the same conclusion. Only about 10% of under 25's watch TV preferring to get their news from social media so they get a biased view without reason to think. My children went to school for more years than I did but I'll bet my IQ against theirs any day. They'll ask me a question and when I tell them to research it they say "it doesn't matter". Lazy. They also tell their children to ask us because they don't know the answer.
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                    • combination of a variety of factors
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                      • I have oftened wondered how would it be, if in this day and age some babies were some how left to their own and grow up like cave men (not easy) how would they evolve would they be any better off that a human 100,000 years ago or so. So along those lines someone may be born with their intelligence but doing an IQ test isn't possible.
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                        • People with high IQ have all these attributes as Christina C list
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                          • Some people can have a very high IQ but no common sense. We all start with an IQ but it's what we do with it that counts. There are many well educated morons out there.
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                          • Dimitri T 100433Paula J 395266
                            Agree with you Paula high IQdoesnot mean good common sense
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                        • Knowledge is acquired over time.Intelligence we are born with & an intelligent person seeks knowledge
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                        • Commonsense and learning from your life experiences helps to create a good way of thinking
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                          • There are different levels of intelligence. Is the innate will to survive a type of intelligence? It's fascinating looking outside of our own societies and into the more primal animal kingdom.
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                            • Me
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                              • Apart from having the necessary ability to achieve higher levels of learning you must have the inherent ability to accept the need to apply yourself to the subject
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                                • Common sense is the most valuable form of intelligence in my opinion. You can be knowledgeable but stupid at the same time.
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                                  • I think it is a combination of all of the above and that genetic inheritance also plays a part. One of my grandfathers, a Professor and Dean of Medicine, had a son who then also had a son. No, unfortunately, not me! Both my uncle and cousin passed into Oxford University when they were 15 or 16 and both went on to also qualify in medicine and then both became Proffessors and the Dean of Medicine. Why do some people seem to be born brilliant yet the rest of the family are Intelligent but with no great talent?
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                                    • The IQ system was invented to prove that black people were inferior by giving them a test they would fail as they were illiterate and uneducated in 1920s America. It is a devalued and racist system.
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                                      • Intelligence & experience are two subjects that people can acquire but they have to want to this. There are always factors that come in to play.
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                                        • I'd rather have wisdom
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                                          • People who use their smarts to good use.
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                                            • Some children are very clever at a early age
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                                              • I don't know about intelligence, but I'm sure tired of dealing with people who don't have the brains that God gave a goose.
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                                                • Common sense.
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                                                  • Exactly and sadly it is lacking among many.
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                                                • I have worked out having a happy wife means a quite life which is what I prefer to have.
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                                                  • A lot has to do with your upbringing, your schooling and your natural curiosity to learn more as a child. The more time your parents spend reading and encouraging to learn the more intelligent you become.
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                                                    • Intelligence is being able to tie your own shoe laces, and doing all common things. this only comes with experience. The only thing about common sense, is that it is not common.
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                                                      • I don't think it's necessarily IQ, there are many factors that I think come into play when it comes to intelligence
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                                                        • there is a lot of talk here about common sense....there is no such thing...only commonly held beliefs...at one point the Earth being flat was common sense...some paddle steamers in the early days in the US had wooden boilers...they wouldn't catch fire because they were full of water...common sense...building cathedrals on a trial and error basis...if they fell down...and many did...they just tried a different way...the list is long and goes on all through history...there are books written about it...dispelling common sense as a myth....
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                                                          • When did people think the earth was flat? Even ancient Egyptians knew it was round, you're showing your lack of intelligence.
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                                                        • Depends on definition used for intelligence. And personally I dont care, There are more important and value things in life [for me]
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                                                          • There are many kinds of intelligence so it's hard to really answer because they are all important. Maybe some are more than others. Like I notice that people who can't critically think tend to believe in conspiracies a lot more. Emotional intelligence is also important to have.
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                                                            • Intelligence is the substance missing in politicians!
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                                                              • You are given a brain but you must cultivate it. Some of us have more opportunities than others. Learn to read and read, read,read! Then you will learn!
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                                                                • Not putting your foot in your mouth
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                                                                  • Thank you Christina C for bringing up such a valuable discussion to the platform. Yes I agree we develop our intelligence as we go but only for those who are willing to take challenges I believe. If you just wait without trying new inventions and noticing what’s happening around you, then you will be like a Frog in the Well. Limiting your knowledge by being deactivate your faculties for knowledge. I have come across many like that in society. They think age disabilities language or lack of motivation restrict their ability to try new things or gain knowledge which is really sad. Good Luck with gaining intelligence every moment in your Life!
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                                                                    • trying and attempting to stay alive
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                                                                      • The way I see Intelligence is, God has intelligent although we must be grateful that God has given each individual to be born with a brain, Intelligence is an individual tool very powerful .that cannot be taught, it's based on learning , watching, understanding, and adapting to different environments, cultures people, education, and the reality of life. Our technology does not make us intelligent, it's the lazy way to use our brains instead of using manual learning it's the experiences you have firsthand and watch remember and learn from, Also we all make mistakes, nobody is perfect and the challenge is to be able to learn from the mistake. Intelligence also the use of common sense, not focus what is in the square but also outside .
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                                                                      • To me intelligence that is most important is common sense and I find it lacking so badly today. Most people have book learning, but are not good with common sense. People seem to find it difficult to think anymore, they do not treat others well, they try to put all the work over on them, not caring that the person is not able to do all the work.
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                                                                        • When most people hear the term intelligence, they are likely to think 'smart at school work' type thoughts. BUT, there are many different types of intelligence. You may have people skills, you may have spatial awareness, math skills, language skills, be a problem solver. Many folk have one area at least, which is better than others. Our standard SB IQ tests do not appear to take all that into account.
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                                                                          • All types of intelligence is important. I like the ones I have a stronger intelligence in like emotional intelligence and I used to have a great memory when it came to names and faces. I could remember them like Rain Man could count! My son is really good at remembering directions. My memory isn't as good as it used to be, but I am working at helping it get back to normal. Stress really took a toll on my brain over the last few years. Stress, depression and grief. Glad I am starting to get back to normal because I like feeling like me.
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                                                                            • Yeah stress definitely takes it's toll and affects us in so many ways. I hope that you make a speedy recovery ☺️ Also, slightly off topic, but food for thought. I read an article the other day about non destructive/non invasive cures for Alzheimer's disease or dementia and they've recently discovered that 40Hertz frequency sound with vibration has stopped the disease from progressing. Apparently our neutrons communicate at a frequency of 40 Hertz. I wonder if it would help people with anxiety, PTSD etcetera and only time would tell I guess and also safety or efficacy of the sound/vibration treatment will be revealed.
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                                                                            • Colleen M 510798Christina C 466456
                                                                              Thank you and yes, meditating to that frequency is good for us in many ways. I kinda quit meditating and I know I shouldn't have, but meditating helped with stress, money, energy levels, everything!
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                                                                          • I totally agree with everything you have said some have to work harder and to some it comes naturally I had a cousin that was gifted and could a news paper at 2 years old he went on to be very clever at everything he did
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                                                                            • Totally agree with what you say. Some are naturally gifted and my son is one of them and it has continued throughout his life. He has a drive and passion to succeed and he does everyday.
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                                                                              • To me it is basic common sense applied
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                                                                                • I agree it’s a combination of iq and natural ability
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                                                                                  • The most intelligent people can lack commonsense which does not show intelligence at all
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                                                                                    • Research tells us we can define intelligence in many ways; the capacity for logic and understanding, self awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning and creative and critical thinking, and problem solving. Intuition being the highest form of intelligence! Also factors can affect our intelligence; hereditary and environment, health and physical development, race and nationally, social and economic conditions. Such a diverse subject!
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                                                                                      • Intelligence to me is basic common sense; some just has more of it than others.
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                                                                                        • not reading comments
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                                                                                          • A lot of people with high IQ have no social skills so I have no aspirations of becoming a nerd.
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                                                                                            • just about anything new in my experience is interesting.
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                                                                                              • Intelligence for me is having common sense.
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                                                                                                • IQ system is flawed. Do enough of these tests and you have them down pat and you will always test at the genius level.
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                                                                                                  • Thinking before you speak and try not to act stupid and if you don't know something about a topic listen to somebody who knows and learn from them.
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                                                                                                    • Intelligence varies from person to person. We are born with it. Some people's intelligence is not triggered and others, it is. Intelligence is different between species. In Japan, some apes are showing great intelligence by sporting where dots show on a computer. We can't compete with them. This proves that their brains are wired differently. In Africa some people are becoming loyers etc. Intelligence varies .
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                                                                                                      • I prefer other factors more that may enhance our intelligence like sucial intelligence.
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                                                                                                        • Intelligence is everything spoken of in the discussion, and more. Great material, Christina C.
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                                                                                                          • Intelligence=facts, knowledge, ability to rationalize. IQ=inborn ability to comprehend and understand average and higher concepts people with lower IQ do not. Lower IQ's have to work harder and study much more what higher IQ gets automatically. IQ and being a natural or not at BMX bike riding aren't the best things to compare, because they don't originate from the same place in the brain. But this is definitely a great concept to debate. People's opinions combined with book knowledge on the subject would surely have an effect on how people see it before having a conversation about it and after. Those are my thoughts. Just my opinions.
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                                                                                                            • BMX comparison is to demonstrate natural ability versus application, not necessarily the individual physical traits therefore independent of physical origin. Another comparison could be a vector for example which has both magnitude (inherited ability) and direction (application) where intelligence is the end product.
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                                                                                                          • It is always good to go with your guts
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                                                                                                            • Proverbs 1:7 The fear/reverance of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
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                                                                                                              • Street smarts
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                                                                                                                • we are born with intelligence, just a matter of enhancing it, just like birds they learn to fly soon as they hatch
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                                                                                                                • Common sense in the first place
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                                                                                                                  • I just read where a 12 year old boy is graduating from College with 5 Degrees! Amazing! A real life Sheldon Cooper! I prefer common sense over book smarts because I've known very intelligent people who can't boil water or tie a shoe, know what I mean? A woman who read to her 2 daughters in the womb birthed 2 genius daughters! Sorry I'm all over the place! My mind is always going! LOL! Bottom line, I honestly believe some of us are born with more intelligence, like some are born with great singing voices, and so on. ;-D
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                                                                                                                    • Oh, I definitely agree with you that just like looks and our shapes and genetic dispositions, no two brains are just alike when you consider their intelligence. Hence the amount of professions in the world and how many people go for every different possible type or field. Our brains drive our bodies engines.
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                                                                                                                    • I watched a TV show on NOVA about the brain, and it was scary! It explained how our eyes see what our brain perceives, not what our eyes see! It was Awesome! ;-D
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                                                                                                                  • Common sense seems much harder to come by than intelligence, lots of people can score high on an I.Q. test......but can they pass the pub test
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                                                                                                                    • We are currently lacking common sense, decency and the ability to spell. Eventually we will regress to Neanderthals level again. So forget IQ, we have to get back to basics first.
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                                                                                                                      • I love watching kids take on abilities, I don't think they are born with abilities I think it's how you as a parent support their interest in the areas they are interested in. My 6-year-old grandson, we were told he would never speak at 3 and that he would lucky to go to a special school. with work and love, he no not only speaks and counts, as well as, has conversations that he generates but goes to a special school and there is hope he might go to general school in a year or two he is autistic with a few other conditions, is this turnaround intelligence or the result of the support, the other day I bought a title cart to help move things around the yard, he helped me build it, it took a little over an hour , I went inside to get us some lunch and he had taken it apart before I returned, ok Mr smarty bum I say can you put it back,it took him a couple of hours but he did, and he loved it, this led to lego and the little man is building heaps of stuff,now is that intelligence, maybe,but i think if you give people the freedom to think and not confine them anything is achievable
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                                                                                                                        • My son was autistic also and with very early intervention, he not only became the student they modeled lessons behind a one way mirror, for up and coming therapists to learn from, but from age 7 to now, 30, you'd never know the difference between him and the next person. The brain is an amazing organ and I have all the hope in the world (as well as medical science behind my feelings) that your grandson will go strides further than anyone thinks or imagines.
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                                                                                                                        • thank you i believe that also
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                                                                                                                        • He's going to do well as he has such wonderful, supporting parents/grandparents. It is amazing seeing children learn and grow as individuals with unique talents and abilities. If you provide the right support for children they will go a long way.
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                                                                                                                        • boy blunderChristina C 466456
                                                                                                                          cheers give them enough support and encouragement and little people can do wonderful things
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                                                                                                                      • To me that's a very broad question because in my opinion intelligence covers many many aspects of humanity
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                                                                                                                        • The main one being survival.
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                                                                                                                        • I agree. Some of the answers I'm reading are quite off from the original question. But maybe people think that of my response, so who really knows the REAL answer. Lol
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                                                                                                                      • IQ system created by one mans ideaology is rubbish, intelligence is everything you can tap your mind body and soul into, just because man/women have written it dosent mean its true,go to school or university get your degree/certificate or whatever with one way thinking,think outside the square people
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                                                                                                                        • i know folks that can explain string theory to me,, but they have to wear loafers as they don't know how to tie their shoes,,,everybody is good at something, does it really matter what your intelligence score is???, i think not 🙂
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                                                                                                                          • knowledge,creativity level,, amazing memory,processing highly specialised knowledge,,passion of the life one has been given,oh I could go on but my dad WOW WHAT A GENIUS,but NEVER highlighed,.....
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                                                                                                                            • When you are trying to fix anything, and it is not working use your brains they must be a way to fix it in most cases, or you are up for a new one. That's Life People Deponch
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                                                                                                                              • A great sense of humour shows me one's intelligence . Not everyone can do that well.
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                                                                                                                                • In answer to your question I am going to tell you a true story which I heard on YouTube recently. It will be very abbreviated. In the early days of the 20th century a young boy of 13 told his mum that he was going to collect something from a friend's house. He told her he'd be back soon but she never saw him alive again. The family was extremely wealthy and he lived in a community of mansions considered to be safe. His body was found somewhere local and Police were stumped until 2 young men from that community were charged with his murder. Both boys came from extremely wealthy but loving homes and inside those homes they fodmulated a plan and decided that THEY, the Elites of their generation, with THEIR intellectual ability and both boys had EXTREMELY high IQ's and one was a polymath and multilinguist, but for THEM and their social circle, this meant that they had the right to choose who would live and who would die and a poor 13 year old was their victim. Unfortunately today we STILL have that same problem where a group of supposedly intelligent individuals thinks that they should be able to do the same. I know someone with an IQ of 175 and he is a lovely pro-social person. If the heart is rotten it doesn't matter what the grey matter holds! Thanks for reading.
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                                                                                                                                  • take decisions wisely
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                                                                                                                                    • take the facts make a decision act on it be prepared to change course
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                                                                                                                                      • I perceive intelligence as the following: The end (tangible results and/or intangible results) justifies the means (innate ability and/or common sense and/or book smarts) because there is no end (figurately or literately to your 'wants'), there are only means (aka the ability to live with your conscience by using intelligence - fighting a rear-guard scenario (in your mind)) - to get you to the next day - so you have the happy experience of doing it all over again - every 24 hours (oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive ourselves)!
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                                                                                                                                        • Dont you worry. Everyone is clever and smart. They will show it at different time in their life.
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                                                                                                                                          • I believe a lot of intelligence you learn over time. Some things may come naturally to people. You can also be book smart but not Street smart.
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                                                                                                                                            • Without common sense intelligence isn't much good, it needs common sense to survive. Common sense leads the way. If we all had just intelligence where would we go? Most Politicians had good Education, intelligence to pass exams but most do not have common sense so slowly destroying our country because intelligence is no good on its own. Intelligence hand in hand with common sense will get you to where you want to go. Some lacking common sense will make it but very few.
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                                                                                                                                              • Intelligence is good if it comes from practical knowledge or ability. Text book students arent necessarily geniuses
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                                                                                                                                                • SOME THNG REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS LACK
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                                                                                                                                                  • I believe that intelligence comes with growing older and wiser, prior to that it is just book learning without having experienced it. Life is an experience that we keep learning as we grow older.
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                                                                                                                                                    • Intelligence is the ability to think for ones self.
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                                                                                                                                                      • intuition is another important factor.
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                                                                                                                                                        • Spot on Cher that's what I was going to say. Something that cannot be taught!
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                                                                                                                                                        • CherLiane H
                                                                                                                                                          right as rain Liane. lol
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                                                                                                                                                      • Common sense is a lot more important than a high IQ. I have known people that are brilliant, but NO common sense.
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                                                                                                                                                        • You might have an a good brain per se but I think it is a combination of intellect, logic, common sense, compassion, experience, etc. that makes you intelligent. I know many people who have Uni degrees and yet I did not go past year 10 and I have more logic than they do and I think in some cases more intelligence. Being masters of one subject does not mean you are super intelligent but did due diligence to that subject. That's how I perceive it anyway.
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                                                                                                                                                          • Book smarts is nothing without common sense! The ability and willingness to learn is everything,
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                                                                                                                                                            • Common Sense
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