Adonis Diaries

Are you intelligent?  What is being intelligent?

It is frustrating to read “successful” people (mostly US writers) bragging that they were nil in math; that they barely managed addition or subtraction…

They should bluntly state: “I was mentally challenged” and then declare that they did catch up by continuing education to learn some rudiment of math.   I declare that I am mentally challenged in “verbal conversation“, unable to capturing the lyrics in songs,  not adapted for poker games, cannot experience  “out-of-body experience“, cannot be hypnotized, cannot focus long enough for any feeling or benefit in meditation, and that the “Nutcracker” ballet didn’t leave any trace in my memory or feelings, that my brain needs time to gestate (ruminate) ideas and to restructure new models for topics under discussion…

And I am not happy for these failures in artistic abilities that I was not exposed to in my schooling and family environment.  I need to be reincarnated to experience the feelings of everything artistic that I missed in this life.

In addition to the commonly know 5 senses, (in fact there are about 10 senses that capture the conditions exerted by outside and inside environments, such as the sense of balance in movement, acceleration, internal temperature, kinesthetic feeling of the muscles…), we can capture so many feedback from outside and inside that we are not aware how our world view was formed and transformed.

People may be aware of only the 3 main categories of intelligence, mainly analytic, creative, and practical intelligence.

The analytic intelligence is supposed to account for our ability to solving academic problems (in courses that we are taught in school) and to completing biased IQ tests.

The creative intelligence is the ability to resolving novel situations and coming up with “original solutions” by looking at the problem from different perspectives

The practical intelligence is the ability to dealing with everyday challenges for maintaining, managing, and controlling our survival.

You are justified to asking: “where do synthesis intelligence, pragmatic intelligence, social communication, verbal communication and conversation, and emotional and discussion abilities fall within the three previous categories?”  

How knowing our capabilities, limitations, shortcoming, and our main passions come into play in this varieties of intelligence?

How learning argument avoidance techniques works?

How we sense in our guts new experiences and incoming dangers?

How do we fall in love and maintain the level of our affection and energy flowing?

Obviously, not all kinds of intelligences emanate directly from the brain, though the repeated and frequent experiences, observations, and feelings are ultimately registered in the brain or in our various memories (short-term, working, and long-term memories).

The neurological network in our intestinal tracts and other internal organs, as well as our muscles, are essential “intelligence sites” that coordinate with the cognitive and limbic brain systems and networks.

We can say that we think in sounds (rhythmical, musical, melody, tonality).

We think visually (color, shape, tone…),

We think kinesthetically in dancing, walking…

We think by metaphor and analogies to comparing notions in different perspectives.

There are features to intelligence such as diversity (verbal, math, reasoning…), dynamic in creativity and interactive relationship, and distinctive intelligence so that every individual has his unique brand of collective intelligence.

A group of psychology and neuroscientists experts were asked to evaluate 25 attributes related to intelligence. Only 25% of them agreed on three attributes.

And you wonder: “if we asked experts to describing edible mushrooms and only 25% of them agree on the poisonous types of mushrooms then, how many might consider it prudent to avoid the subject altogether?”

I ask you: “where imagination comes from; or empathy, or a sense of integration with the universe, our collective intelligence for local survival…”?

If someone asks you: “On a scale of 1 to 9, how intelligent do you grade yourself?”  

Would you fall in the trap before asking: “What do you mean by intelligence?  How do you discriminate among intelligence?  Why is it so important for you to know how intelligent I am?  What types of intelligences are more important to you?”

I recall during my PhD dissertation in the late 80’s that a psychologist and an industrial engineering professor received a grant from the military air force to setting up a battery of tests and skills in order to sort out the applicants for the air force pilots; I was refused to participate in this research program as a non-citizen, but I tested it.  As far as I recall, there were not an emotional or communication skills tested.  It is as if pilot will be trained to shoot down enemy planes as efficiently as robots.

From my observations, I feel that bright people share 3 features:

First, when attending lessons or sessions, they can focus on the lesson with undivided attention.

Second, when they return home they don’t feel the need to “study”:  They solve all the exercises and problems in the chapter from the beginning to the end, in succession, no picking and choosing alternative of what problem is easy or difficult.  This system of studying generates a big bonus:  a vast repertoire of ready solved problems are memorized and consequently, the student is able to finish the exam quickly no matter how long and complicated is the test sheet

Third, they acquire a flexible mind to view problems from different perspectives.

Mathematicians acquire this trait from comprehending entirely different abstract constructs:  I think that the math process is somehow rigid, but it is the opportunity of learning new abstract concepts that invariably extend this feature, even if not totally conscious of its brain ramifications and building appropriate neuro-networks.

Expert mathematicians can understand the main problems in any other discipline, better than the semi-professionals in the field.  That is why, it is such a loss that math graduates do not pursue applied disciplines after graduation to enhancing the scientific base of any social sciences discipline.

I contend that the complex behavior of mankind and the varieties of his intelligence, especially in the “developed” western hemisphere, are the product of body poisoning from regurgitating unnatural food products in the last 5 centuries, and the dissemination of acquired violent streak due to the poisoning of their mind and feelings with experimental drugs and mental control techniques.

The advance of technology is the byproduct of a steam release valve process (a scapegoat), a reaction of the unbearable violent tendencies that drove people crazy.  Unfortunately, it is the military institutions that funded and managed most of these technologies:  They adapted and adopted technologies of mass destruction, global eavesdropping, mass media dissemination and control, and gathering spying intelligence such as industrial and scientific spying technologies, and preempting freedom movements by disturbing any kinds of democratic evolution and national development.

I contend that violent acts and vehement  incitement speeches in the media to violence will increase exponentially, unless serious research are done to courageously pinpoint the dangerous eating habits and curbing violent scenes disseminated to kids and adolescents in the web and movies.

A newer equilibrium to our physical and mental constitution must be investigated in order for more lenient and socially bearable kinds of violent tendencies can be managed and controlled.

It is unconscionable that the individual should be made to bear all the responsibilities for self-improvement and be blamed for not having the capacity to avoid violent reactions or learn to manage the flow of his rage and frustration.

Note 1: A chapter in “The element” by Ken Robinson discussed intelligence

Note 2: You might read the two related posts  https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/are-you-a-genius/ and https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/low-iq-prisoner-studied-and-raised-the-score-found-eligible-to-death-row/