Intelligence Prt 2

What constitutes Intelligence?

 

"That was not an intelligent decision," someone may quip. What constitutes intelligence, and why is an action or a task completed considered intelligent? The life we live is a cumulation of constantly made decisions as we wade through life's moments. Careers have been made out of intelligent decisions; likewise, those who are successful confidently credit the right decisions they made at some point in life as the basis of their success.

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.

Applying the above description in life is straightforward but complex when a series of events come into play. Independently looking at intelligence without considering context does not help conclude whether the initial proposition is intelligent. The following analysis seeks to carefully interpret and correctly define intelligence in the context of a particular process.

A computer hacker is a nemesis of any network administrator or cyber security expert. Hacking is a profession that is widely practiced in first-world countries and, of late, the third world. It is a weapon for those bludgeoning to make amends, restore parity, or seek to gain an advantage for one reason or another. At a glance, a hacker is intelligent; going about this business needs technique and guile to avoid detection.

When a hacker decides to gain entry into a particular network for reasons of reconnaissance, to spy or retrieve information, the decision at this point hangs in the balance on whether it is intelligent or not. Hacking as a business is illegal because it is an an-authorized entry into a particular network famously dubbed back-door entry. 

The hacker's goal is to go in and out without being detected, irrespective of the intended purpose. To gain access and exit without being flagged can be classified as intelligent, why, because he/she was not caught. What if the hacker is caught? Can it be adduced that they were not intelligent enough? Retracing our line of thought back a bit, hacking is illegal, but the intelligence behind the skill is undisputed.

Considering Oxford's description of intelligence, the ability to learn, understand and think in a logical way about things, the ability to do this well. We can observe a hacker has learned and understood the trade and thinks logically about what he/she is about to do, and does it well irrespective of the risks. Applying this definition to define a computer hacker seems to fit perfectly and only falls apart when context is considered.

Hacking is studied and practiced over time to gain experience and eke a living as many tend to. Perhaps, an attempt to describe hacking as an intelligent business venture then illustrates what intelligence is or not. A hacker is intelligent; going in and out of a network without being detected is intelligent, but the decision to hack into a network is not intelligent?