INTELLIGENCE PRT 1

                                                   INTELLIGENCE

 

The Oxford Dictionary describes intelligence as the ability to learn, understand and think in a logical way about things; the ability to do this well.

Humankind is the epitome of intelligence in the world. To aptly put it, what exists in the world or what the world has become and what it will be is a result of human intelligence. A famous quote; necessity is the mother of all inventions is a well-known fact. As the world continues to develop, courtesy of humankind, needs in the form of problems will always arise. These problems have to be solved or what currently exists improved.

Reverting to the definition of intelligence, a few deductions can be made. It begins by; intelligence is the ability to learn. Knowledge acquired throughout the existence of humankind has been passed down to thousands and thousands of generations. Learning starts at a tender age, for instance; to walk, talk and work with hands is a process the child grows to learn as he/she grows up. There is nothing an individual does that is not learned. However, how an individual turns out is a cumulative result of the exposure/environment they were in, either by choice or default.

In the definition, intelligence is described as the ability to understand. This is where the line of departure starts from. Based on the environment an individual grows up in, the ability to understand is either developed or not. School as currently constituted is to help in opening up new horizons in the child’s mind. Those who never went to elementary school generally have a problem in understanding the basics of common languages for instance, English. Those born in English-speaking countries have the privilege of growing with it as a first language. In the non-speaking English countries, one will find it difficult to understand unless they had an opportunity to learn.

The ability to think logically about things is the final part of the description of intelligence. If the line departed further from learning, it does so even more when it comes to thinking logically. All human beings think: how, when, in response to what conclusively defines intelligence. A reaction to a particular issue is a result of a thought. Individuals will respond differently to the same problem based on how they have processed it by thinking. Responses to issues that signal immaturity are based on what is the accepted standard. Sometimes the accepted standards may not be the proper reaction.

To further illustrate this, assuming a driver is on the right lane at the right time. On the other lane of oncoming traffic, suddenly, a driver decides to overtake illegally. Instead of aborting, the driver proceeds despite spotting an oncoming vehicle on the lane he/she is using to overtake. The illegally overtaking driver is wrong, but for the driver who has spotted the illegality to survive, brakes must be applied sometimes to a near halt. If not, then there will be a head-on collision. 

Choosing to brake is the best decision despite having a right not to bulge since the driver overtaking is wrong and ought to abort. This has led to a common saying in the circles of experienced drivers; “sometimes for you to be right, you have to be wrong”. Though braking is the right decision for the law-abiding driver, it is wrong to brake in such a scenario because of the traffic behind, especially if high speeds are involved. The driver at the back, if not experienced enough, can end up hitting the rear of the car in front. More often than not, in such scenarios, drivers who choose to brake instead of upholding the law survive.

The above-illustrated scenario completes the last bit of intelligence; the ability to do this well. The same scenario presented to several individuals might elicit different responses as applications. However, what is deemed as the response which to a greater degree will avert a crisis will be adjudged as an intelligent decision.