(about "intelligence")

The first thing that popped into my head when I read your post, T., was, "Stupid is as stupid does".

Leave it to a movie character to sum up a thought.

I don't know that a degree is an accurate measure of anything other than either 1) the ability to pay or 2) the fact that one is currently in debt, these days. I think that at one point it actually was a good measure of something... but even then, that something was probably more related to social class than to intelligence.

I think that Artists do actually rank high... it's just that 1% of the artists get 99% of the money, and the other 99% get 1%. Check in with Michael Jackson and Sir Paul... I don't think they'd agree about the dollar value. (and if they do, please slap the living shit out of them for me) People pour billions into the Arts, and the artists... it's just a bit unbalanced.

"I have yet to meet a "stupid" person, or indeed any person from whom I have not been able to learn."

I have met many "stupid people". Can I learn from them? Sure. I can learn from a rock too, but that doesn't make the rock "intelligent"... in fact, I think that might just make me intelligent.

University titles don't impress me. I've met stupid doctors and stupid lawyers... I've even met stupid MENSA members.

I'm sure that we all have our own unique way of determining what "smart" and "dumb" are... and that there are quite a few University recognized definitions of "Intelligence"... but what it all boils down to, I think, is whether or not the "observer" feels challenged or bored from their interactions with the person.

If you bore me, I'm likely to think you "dull" or "dimwitted". If you challenge me, I'm likely to find you "brilliant" or "fascinating". Smart = my brain is working to keep up and process. Dumb = wake me up when you're through. (not entirely accurate... just attempting to describe it somehow.)


Perhaps, by definition, the way I define "intelligence" is incorrect... but then... I tend to think of myself as more intelligent than whoever came up with the definition in the first place.