val70 · 56-60
I think that today's society is entirely screwy. Once one educated onself to be someone, but nowadays they don't think of it as a tool any more but something much more miraculous. Basically in this age of popularism and all out marketing it's never about thinking and arguing any more, but how one comes accross. Do I sound intelligent? You haven't seen me in action, haven't you, and that's because being smart is somehow thrown into the mix now too. Even my car mechanic needs to have knowledge of whatever is lurking in the deeps of the internet these days just fool himself that he's as smart as myself. Nothing to do with education any more, and all to do with being part of the wider whole. Moreover, intelligence doesn't garantee compassion, spiritual enlightment, nor self belief either.
DangerGirl · 22-25, F
I'm all three, maybe even a higher fourth order.
dancingtongue · 80-89, M
My mother was a teacher for 50 years, and she always said an education was extremely important but that horse sense was even more important.
The problem we are having today, imo, is that the key component of "Intelligence" as defined above -- "capacity to reason, comprehend, analyze data, and solve novel or complex problems" -- is that it is not necessarily innate or natural. It involves the act of critical thinking, which can be learned naturally by observation of, and interaction with, people who are critical thinkers. Or by learning it through education. Yet we have had a whole segment of our society pressuring schools to stop teaching critical thinking, pushing for home schooling to keep their kids from being exposed to anything that might require critical thinking, and demonizing critical thinking as being un-Christian, socialism, communism, etc., etc.
A key element to the well-documented "dumbing of America".
The problem we are having today, imo, is that the key component of "Intelligence" as defined above -- "capacity to reason, comprehend, analyze data, and solve novel or complex problems" -- is that it is not necessarily innate or natural. It involves the act of critical thinking, which can be learned naturally by observation of, and interaction with, people who are critical thinkers. Or by learning it through education. Yet we have had a whole segment of our society pressuring schools to stop teaching critical thinking, pushing for home schooling to keep their kids from being exposed to anything that might require critical thinking, and demonizing critical thinking as being un-Christian, socialism, communism, etc., etc.
A key element to the well-documented "dumbing of America".
Nimediapresentations · 41-45, M
@dancingtongue People's innate intelligence grows as it is used more. If a person is intellectually lazy, and he never puts his "natural" intelligence to use, his natural capacity to reason will atrophy. Yes, it's definitely a matter of nature/nurture. I do think humans are born drawn to certain mediums.
AdmiralPrune · M
And are you any of these things?
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FloorGenAdm · 51-55, M