Community Chat

[NoelSeven]

On 11/1/2014 JuJu Squeezie said:

You can only judge what you can relate to and if you have a deficit how are going to judge anyone more intelligent?

A genius to you might not be to me and vice-versa.

Good points

[Moonchilde]

Education and intelligence are not the same thing. A person can have an armload of degrees and have little or no "native smarts", which I suppose is another way of saying common sense. An intelligent person may or may not be highly educated. They may or may not be socially at ease or a great communicator. Many extremely intelligent people are on the autism spectrum somewhere, or extremely introverted, people-shy, etc. and have difficulty interacting with others. Although I agree that a sense of humor is usually a sign of intelligence to me, some very intelligent people on the autism spectrum have no sense of humor, or any human-relating "sense." My favorite people have common sense/street smarts, relate well to others, and have a good sense of humor. Some are highly educated and some barely have HS diplomas.

[NoelSeven]

On 11/1/2014 moonchilde said:

Education and intelligence are not the same thing. A person can have an armload of degrees and have little or no "native smarts", which I suppose is another way of saying common sense. An intelligent person may or may not be highly educated. They may or may not be socially at ease or a great communicator. Many extremely intelligent people are on the autism spectrum somewhere, or extremely introverted, people-shy, etc. and have difficulty interacting with others. Although I agree that a sense of humor is usually a sign of intelligence to me, some very intelligent people on the autism spectrum have no sense of humor, or any human-relating "sense." My favorite people have common sense/street smarts, relate well to others, and have a good sense of humor. Some are highly educated and some barely have HS diplomas.

You put that very well I agree that education is not necessarily a factor, although it can be an indicator at times, and that some very intelligent people barely have a HS diploma.

Just think of all the people around the world who must be very intelligent but never have a chance to learn or express themselves because of poverty or just not having opportunities.

I'm glad you made the point about many very intelligent people being on the autism spectrum, I've often thought that about our math friend.

I also agree with your comments about humor.

[Moonchilde]

On 11/1/2014 NoelSeven said:

On 11/1/2014 moonchilde said:

Education and intelligence are not the same thing. A person can have an armload of degrees and have little or no "native smarts", which I suppose is another way of saying common sense. An intelligent person may or may not be highly educated. They may or may not be socially at ease or a great communicator. Many extremely intelligent people are on the autism spectrum somewhere, or extremely introverted, people-shy, etc. and have difficulty interacting with others. Although I agree that a sense of humor is usually a sign of intelligence to me, some very intelligent people on the autism spectrum have no sense of humor, or any human-relating "sense." My favorite people have common sense/street smarts, relate well to others, and have a good sense of humor. Some are highly educated and some barely have HS diplomas.

You put that very well I agree that education is not necessarily a factor, although it can be an indicator at times, and that some very intelligent people barely have a HS diploma.

Just think of all the people around the world who must be very intelligent but never have a chance to learn or express themselves because of poverty or just not having opportunities.

I'm glad you made the point about many very intelligent people being on the autism spectrum, I've often thought that about our math friend.

I also agree with your comments about humor.

Thanks, Noel :-) I really value people who have knowledge and skills in areas I never will - for example in hand crafting, agriculture, weather, and survival skills, many in third world countries where few get degrees of any kind. If I was plunked down in their environment, I probably wouldn't survive. But they may be ridiculed because they don't have indoor plumbing or can't read or write, through no fault of their own.

[VioletEyes]

I measure intelligence by the way in which a person relates to the world. Someone who has an open mind and able to think outside of the box. Intelligent people don't need to flaunt their intelligence either. If anything, they often downplay it not having to "prove" anything to anyone.

In addition, I really don't believe that having "street smarts" has much of anything to do with being intelligent.

Language skills are often my first clue whether someone is intelligent. And since I consider myself of average intelligence, I enjoy being around people intellectually superior to myself. I enjoy learning from them.

[Snik]

On 11/1/2014 Buck-i-Nana said:

On 11/1/2014 qualitygal said:

On 11/1/2014 Snik said:

Obviously, by the size of their nostrils...

This made me LOL, great answer!!

LOL. Big question...are small nostrils or large ones the ones to seek out?

Aaaah, Grasshopper..this is the knowledge for which you must seek...

[Lucky Charm]

Someone intelligent is one who THINKS.

They THINK before their actions and act appropriately.

Someone intelligent is one who KNOWS.

They KNOW right from wrong and act accordingly.

[luvdoodles]

Some people can be book smart but it doesn't mean they are truly intelligent. It just means they gave a good memory for what they have learned. To me intelligence is someone who can have a conversation on any issue in all the current events, etc going on in our world today and willing to listen to different opinions. To me memory doesn't equal intelligence.

[deepwaterdotter]

On 11/1/2014 Lucky Charm said:

Someone intelligent is one who THINKS.

They THINK before their actions and act appropriately.

Someone intelligent is one who KNOWS.

They KNOW right from wrong and act accordingly.

Your post made me wonder, are "right" and "wrong" absolutes?

[dooBdoo]

Great thread, and perceptive comments.

I think an intelligent person is one who always is learning, can reason and comprehend complexities and nuances, can apply the things they know to changing situations/conditions/environs, and can have original, creative ideas of their own. I’m always more impressed by someone who’s flexible, not stuck in one mindset, willing to share but also to listen and absorb what others are saying. I know my best mentors were those who continued through life as both a teacher and a student, and they're probably the first who come to mind when I think about this topic.