Life abounds in so many various forms on this planet. Organisms range from single-celled microbes that live in colonies on your skin to giant blue whales that swim the vast oceans. Many humans carry with them a sense of entitlement; a feeling of grandeur or advancement that far exceeds that of other organisms. How should intelligence be defined? Are we to say that humans are more intelligent than dolphins because we use computers and do algebra? Every living creature on the planet today is equally advanced as every other. We have all survived and prospered through billions of years of evolution. I would venture to say that humans are less intelligent than many other animals, as evidenced by our persistent destruction of our biosphere.
In terms of anatomy and biology, a larger brain relative to body-size generally equates to higher "intelligence," or at least thinking power. And we know we're at the top of that list. I just mentioned in a thread regarding the existence of love, that any abstract idea like intelligence, love, and morality exists as much as we allow it to, and that's all that should matter to us. So aside from the neurological aspect, we define intelligence as the ability to reason. Which is why we've achieved relative greatness (both for the better and worse) as a species.
I think we're destroying ourselves because we're too intelligent not the other way around..lack of empathy is whats destroying us...anyways I think logical and emotional intelligence are both genetic and environmental..logical intelligence would be how good you are at locating and solving problems in the quickest amount of time..emotional intelligence would be how self aware you are and how good you are at changing your soft skills to adapt to any given situation
If intelligence can be defined by problem-solving and reasoning skills, isn't every organism pretty intelligent? Every organism faces the same basic problem: How does one obtain food, water, shelter, and reproduction in the most efficient way? Most animals seem pretty good at living, otherwise they wouldn't be here. Humans are good at getting the things we need, but we lack efficiency. Think of the number of people it takes for you to get a can of green beans from Wal-Mart.
I would call intelligence the ability to think both deeply and clearly. Intelligence isn't capacity, intelligence is what you do when you don't know not when you do. Although capacity is a common by-product of intelligence it's just not right, I don't know why people always keep saying this so often. Maybe it's what our education system has taught us...
My post doesn't have anything to do with capacity. Information is everything. Your brain is a bunch of information compiled together. The way you think, make decisions, etc. is all caused by information you obtain early in life. Capacity is different. To me intelligence is more about obtaining true/accurate information, and large amounts of it, rather than just being able to hold onto thoughts well. And to be truthful, you have no no control over how smart you are. Your environment, along with your genetics determine that.
Ability to retain knowledge imo. Genetically, organisms are only capable of so much knowledge. It's funny that our genetics understand this concept, so it created the hippocampus, which decides which information to keep and discard.
Not every being is problem solving and reasoning though. I think insects, for example, are based on a simple action-reaction programming (designed by natural selection). Yes, though, any animal that reasons (i.e. those with emotions) is a certain degree of intelligent. Most animals can only focus on those simple needs. Humans are capable of doing much much more (i.e. build a rocket ship capable of reaching the moon). I think humans are much more efficient.
Yea but how much time does it take? If I run and dont wait in line maybe 3 mins...how long if I had to grow it myself or store it for winter like an animal? Yea a beaver can figure out how to build a dam from sticks but what about the hoover dam? Time and complexity also factor into it..and a lot of ideas are taken from nature and were improved apon..look at simple things suck as the plow or wheel..animals dont improve on efficiency as quickly as we do
There's so much waste that results in our style of living though. That can of green beans that you bought in three minutes took a longggg time to get to you. The land had to be plowed, the seeds planted. The crops tended to, harvested, and then delivered to the canning factory, which has a number of processes as well. After they're canned, they've got to be delivered to the store, processed, stocked. All that for some beans. I could eat really well from my back yard if I prepared during the summer months. It's too cold in the mountains to live as a hunter-gatherer very well, but in more temperate regions it's the best kind of life. WE may build rocketships that can get to the moon, but what can YOU do with this way of life? I think it's hindering.
Haha English is my third language bro. What I meant to say is intelligence is not what you know, but what you do when you don't know
What are the other two? Good way of putting it. Do animals other than homo sapiens have intelligence?
Yea I see what you're saying and for some it is more efficient money wise to grow it themselves but convienience is needed for other people who simply don't have the time or resources..I do think we take that to the extreme but even things I think are not needed like internet on your phone might be truly needed by some..Some others might say the cell phone is not needed. I guess efficiency and convenience is in the eye of the beholder.
These things have become necessities only because we have made them so. I hate hearing someone say "I don't know what to do without my cell phone". We managed without them for a good many thousand years, and even for several decades after the technological boom. But this is getting off topic. Maybe I should have asked what defines advancement? We say we're the most advanced species, but why? Every other being does just as good a job of living as we do.
