Intelligence is quite different from knowledge. It is the ability to learn, to apply knowledge, to think abstractly. Or perhaps all three.
IQ is a measure of intelligence, in vain in my view. Latterly IQ has - deservedly - fallen into disrepute. But might there be another approach? My suggestion is personal and incomplete. But it is simple.
Just this: an ever-present willingness to change one’s opinions, even one’s beliefs.
Obviously such opinions must be fairly serious, arrived at via internal and external argument, tested regularly over time, and of significance in our lives. Deciding never again to watch Strictly Come Dancing doesn’t count.
I was brought up in a politically Conservative family which took The Daily Mail. Almost by osmosis I absorbed typical right-wing values and held them into my teens. Joining a professional trade union (National Union of Journalists) caused me to swing left. This was a big change but the example is unpersuasive. I was right-wing as a result of close influence; it was not an active decision on my part.
Like many males (though many resist admitting it) my adolescence was tortured by my inability to “get on” with girls. One reason I left Bradford where I was born. Marriage – in London - put me on a more even keel. Much later I became pro-feminist though some women are unimpressed by what they see as only a 25% conversion.
I used to sneer at opera. Now I spend large sums of money on it. I am mildly proud of this.
Was I ever a true-blue patriot? I can’t be sure. Certainly my preferences are international these days.
Note the qualifications. Real opinions are rarely changed lightly. But this should always be a possibility, I think. Any big changes out there?
That's an interesting question about changing one's opinions. I'm trying to remember what my beliefs were when I was young and if I no longer believe in them now. I've always leaned left politically, believed in racial justice, and non-violence. I still do. I think what's changed the most is that I once believed we could change the world, lift the consciousness, make lives better. Not anymore.
ReplyDeleterobin andrea: Trick question, then. Given no world changes will happen what's your next move? Taking up macramé or passively awaiting The End sitting in your deck chair?Follow-up trick question: are deck chairs (the most uncomfortable seating system known to man) available in the USA? Nah, you're all far too sensible for that.
DeleteRoderick: Next move? Find an island somewhere where I can transport myself without flying (I don't fly) or driving (I can't stand traffic), so a magical island that has all my favorite people and all my favorite foods. It has perfect weather, a gathering of like-minded souls, a place of kindness. It is the ashram of my dreams.
DeleteI was a bit shy as a kid. Not so much now. Becoming an employee union organizer for 3 years in my late 20s cured me of that. I didn't want to change, by the way. But I had to become more assertive in order to be a good organizer. I got used to speaking up and speaking out. I can't quite believe I was ever shy. Now that I think about it, I think it simply had to do with developing confidence and believing in something bigger than myself.
ReplyDeleteColette: Once shy, now shouty. I like that. I see it as a bumper sticker that would puzzle most Floridians. Imagination takes hold and I see you practising on alligators; urging them to return to the Primodial Soup. Any updates on this would be gratefully received.
ReplyDeleteBTW size isn't everything. Old Orange is (was? - Ah, one may hope) bigger but not as stimulating company. Did you know I am a great enthusiast for women who still do perms? Does this help?
Roderick always poses interesting questions. Once I was an optimist, now not so much. I thought my generation would save the world, and now it burns, wars, and dies from a preventable disease. And so it goes. Sandi
ReplyDeleteSandi: The basic question is this: is a willingness to change a strongly-held opinion (assuming supporting evidence is found to the contrary) proof of intelligence? Put another: way is stubbornness (in the face of conflicting evidence) a sign of stupidity?
DeleteAre you in fact saying once you were an optimist, now you are a pessimist? Pessimism is not necessarily a bad thing; as regards trying to solve the climate-change situation, it may seem almost inevitable. Unsupported optimism may well be a sign of stupidity.
Here we call that rose-colored glasses state, Pollyanna syndrome. More than anything I'm disappointed...not pessimistic. As far as stupidity, really doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is 'insanity'. Which tips the scale for the whole climate debacle. For decades, scientists have been literally saying...'the sky is falling' at least the ozone layer is, and it's been ignored. Is it reversible, I'm not so sure anymore.
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