1 post tagged “intelligence”

A friend and I were talking earlier today and he said, "You're smart!" At the time we were discussing regex and its usefulness for opering on a large IRC network, but his exclamation got me thinking. What is it that makes someone smart? It seems like “smart” is one of those subjective terms like "love," for instance. In this case, the definition would be “intelligent,” but I think there is more to intelligence than just knowing about a specific subject or two or even ten!

All of us view intelligence differently. We all value different aspects of intelligence. For me, intelligence is more than just being well-read or an ability to learn, there are a couple of other aspects to it as well. I have come across plenty of people that seem to have a decent brain, but lack something as simple as common sense. If I am going to consider a person as being smart, they have to have both. While the ability to learn and common sense are a good basis for intelligence, they lack one of the most fundamental aspects that I place in high esteem.

Several years ago, I took a class in relationship psychology. In that class, we discussed something that is known as emotional intelligence. Essentially what emotional intelligence is is the ability to regulate your emotions coupled with the ability to be sympathetic/empathetic towards others. I realised then that that aspect of intelligence was the part that mattered the most to me in looking for marriage material. Perhaps that's why I've yet to get married. I still haven't found someone (locally, that is) that has all of those things that make up my subjective definition of intelligence.

I'm sure there is far more to it than that even. What do you think intelligence is? Remember, like love it is something that we're all going to think of and define differently. So, take a stab at it.