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Your definition of intelligent is really the definition of knowledgeable. Knowledgeable and intelligent are not coterminous. Not that you care, as you stated.
To me, the two words are synonymous.
Now you could bring out Roget or Webster and refute this, but it would be a waste of your time. Nitpicking the definitions of words - or using what many label as $5 words to sound intelligent - is what someone who thinks that they are smart would do.
But no. Again, all this illustrates is a knowing what a definition is (you know... being knowledgeable). Being able to use it in a sentence correctly is not much better. Being able to successfully talk to people in a meaningful manner without being verbose or eloquent is much more illustrative of "smart" (or even wise).
I have seen - in 2+ decades of teaching - some extremely eloquent speakers come through my doors, only to end up serving coffee at Starbucks. I have seen dozens drop out of college because they didn't have the emotional maturity or the common sense to change their study habits away from rote memorization to deep analysis (the former being intelligent/knowledgeable, the latter being smart).
Last edited by Starman71; 03-01-2017 at 11:11 AM..
There's much more to intelligence than being able to absorb a lot of facts. Problem-solving ability is one indicator. Foreseeing potential problems and taking preventive measures is another. Analytical skills, vs. simple memorization--yet another.
Creativity and intuition are another indication. Einstein developed some of his theories not by doing the math, but via intuitive insights. Once he had a vision of how things worked, he had to back-track, and figure out the formulas, to make his theories acceptable to the scientific community.
There's much more to intelligence than being able to absorb a lot of facts. Problem-solving ability is one indicator. Foreseeing potential problems and taking preventive measures is another. Analytical skills, vs. simple memorization--yet another.
Creativity and intuition are another indication. Einstein developed some of his theories not by doing the math, but via intuitive insights. Once he had a vision of how things worked, he had to back-track, and figure out the formulas, to make his theories acceptable to the scientific community.
You are correct. Einstein had a magnificent imagination, but was lousy at math. His math to prove E=mc<2 was wrong eight times in a row. He was correct, but it took nine tries to get the math right.
His special relativity paper had errors, but the theory was correct.
There's much more to intelligence than being able to absorb a lot of facts. Problem-solving ability is one indicator. Foreseeing potential problems and taking preventive measures is another. Analytical skills, vs. simple memorization--yet another.
Creativity and intuition are another indication. Einstein developed some of his theories not by doing the math, but via intuitive insights. Once he had a vision of how things worked, he had to back-track, and figure out the formulas, to make his theories acceptable to the scientific community.
Did you completely miss my original post that basically states this very thing?
There are many variables.
Let's assume everyone has an IQ of 100.
Someone who is great with people, and who works hard, can be more successful than someone who is bad with people, and basically lazy.
Maybe I'm kind of dumb, but very good at reading people.
Maybe I'm brilliant, but very bad at reading people. Who will be better off?
What a great question. There are so many variables. I've wondered about this often.
I think my sisters are all smarter than I am. My father had a very successful business but did not plan for my mother after his death. He gave away all his money to a charity. He built an addition without a permit.
I am a voracious reader and very curious but can't do math or understand technology.
My husband can do complex mathematical calculations but I have to explain the plots of every show we watch.
I figure I'm just smart enough to know what I'm missing. The more ignorant around me seem happier.
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