Many times in our society intelligence is judged by test scores, careers, andsuccess.
Although these methods of measuring intelligence are not alwaysaccurate they are still used. IQ tests are given to people and the scores onthese tests are supposed to reflect the level of intelligence a person has. Whatmakes these tests so accurate? What about intelligent people who do not taketests well? They may become nervous and may not work well under pressure. Ibelieve there are many forms of intelligence, some more important than othersare.
A person may be very smart but when it comes to subjects like math andscience, but when it comes to English and writing they may not know much aboutit. Also, some people may not do very well in school but can fix almost anythingthat you put in front of them. Often times those who are smart in school subjectlack the common sense needed to survive outside of work or school although thatis not always the case. Others who may very intelligent when it comes to commonsense and making the right decision on the street lack the wisdom need in schoolor work. This is a critical part of survival and I believe common sense isneeded just as much as anything else.
There are those people who are naturallysmart, who grasp concepts well, and do not need to study much at all to do well. There are others who need to work hard to do well. They need to study andconcepts do not come as easily to them as others. Are they not consideredintelligent because of this? Also many people may be very intelligent yet theyare either lazy or uninterested, therefore their natural mental ability never isshown. Many cultures have their own opinion of intelligence. If you are born andbrought up as an Indian, to them intelligence comes with age and strength.
Ifyou can hunt well and survive on you own then you are considered intelligent,you are not given a written test and judged buy the scores. Many other culturesalso have their own definition of intelligence too. Social status also has avery big impact on people perspective of your intelligence. Upper to middleclass people not only have a better chance of getting a good education, but arethought of as more intelligent because they have money.
Lower-middle to lowerclass people do not have all the opportunities that the others do and are alsoperceived as unintelligent because of their lack of money and thoseopportunities. Judging people on their level of intelligence, mental ability,and level of success through tests and careers gives you a very poor judge ofcharacter. I do not agree that intelligence can be measured at all. To me it isnot only how smart you are, but also your attitude, who you are as a person, andthe decisions you make in life. Your intelligence should not only be gradedthrough a test but rather on how you live your life.
