The True test of Intelligence

Einstein once stated, "Imagination, not knowledge, is the true sign of intelligence."Long before him, Socrates famously said, "I know I am smart because I know I know nothing."

To be honest, both of those things made me scratch my head.

So I started to wonder: What does it mean to be smart? And what does it mean to be "intellectual"? This question bothered me for one simple reason: people are eager to call others "intellectual" or "stupid" in ordinary interactions, frequently without any context, compassion, or kindness. I didn't think this was fair or even true. So, I did what any curious person would do: I looked for answers.

How do people define an intellectual?

I asked folks from different backgrounds what they think an "intellectual person" is. Their answers were as different as their jobs.

The Businessman: "An intellectual person is someone who makes sense of things and helps others understand them."

The Auditor: "An intellectual is someone special who uses their exceptional skills to get things done."

The Worker in the Community: He said that some of the attributes were being able to understand philosophy, think logically, and analyze things. He said, "Intelligence has many sides."

The Expert in Islamic Finance: “An intellectual is someone who is smart. Over time, intelligence turns into wisdom through experience. You can't measure intelligence directly, but you can determine how smart someone is by how they contribute to their area and communicate complicated ideas."

The Teacher Who Is No Longer Teaching: "An intellectual is someone who thinks clearly and expresses their ideas well."

The Headmaster Who Is Now Retired: He said this after a long pause, "The essence of intelligence is the ability to learn, remember, recall, and present information in a logical way."

Not Happy Yet.

Each answer gave a distinct point of view, but none of them seemed complete. I couldn't avoid the idea that we were looking at intelligence through too narrow a lens. We largely focused on communication skills and logical output and ignored creativity, emotional understanding, and other human capabilities.

Then I found Dictionary.com's definition of "intellect": 

"The mind's ability to know or understand; the ability to think and learn."

Is this helpful? A little. But it still didn't explain why some people are called "intellectual" and others aren't, even though they are all brilliant in their own ways.

Howard Gardner: A New Way of Looking at Things

That's when I learned about Howard Gardner, a Harvard developmental psychologist who transformed the way we think about intelligence. Gardner says that intelligence isn't just one thing that can be measured; it's a lot of things.

He found these 10 types of intelligence:

 

1. Intelligence with words: The skill of using words well—poets, writers, and speakers.
2. Intelligence in math and logic: The ability to think logically and solve problems—scientists and mathematicians.
3. Musical Smarts: Musicians and composers are sensitive to sound, rhythm, tone, and pitch.
4. Intelligence in Space and Time: Architects, pilots, and surgeons can see and change space.
5. Intelligence in the Body and Kinesthetic: Using the body to express or solve things—athletes, dancers, and craftspeople.
6. Intelligence in relationships: Knowing how to talk to and get along with other people, including leaders, teachers, and salespeople.
7. Intelligence that is personal: A deep awareness of your own feelings, motivations, and aspirations.
8. Intelligence in the Natural World: Biologists, farmers, and environmentalists all look for patterns in nature.
9. Intelligence in teaching: The ability to effectively and easily educate and explain ideas.
10. Existential Intelligence: Philosophers and theologians are able to think about major questions about life, death, and purpose.

Thinking about intelligence again

I learned something from Gardner's framework: It's not about fitting into a mold to be smart; it's about knowing and caring for the knowledge you do have.

So when we question, "Is someone with one of these intelligences an intellectual?"

Yes, if they think deeply, say something important, and say what they mean.

One Last Thought

People in our environment are too often put into restrictive categories like "smart," "dumb," "intellectual," and "ignorant." But human intelligence is very big, rich, and varied.

Maybe the smartest thing to do these days is to be open to and respect diverse ways of thinking.

So let's stop making assumptions. Let's stop keeping smart people out.

Let's start to value the numerous ways that people understand the world and work to make it better.

That would be a smart place to start.