The Nature of Intelligence Essay Example

For centuries humans have pondered over the nature of intelligence. Many have created theories to develop a concrete understanding of its overall concept. This school of thoughts can be further subdivided into multiple threads. It began from a psychometric understanding of intelligence, which focused on very general mental capabilities. This included factors such as the ability to reason, or to comprehend and apply knowledge in the context of problem solving. However, this perspective left out other abilities which can also add to overall intelligence. This is why the concept of multiple intelligences has been developed. For example, many musicians, artists, architects, poets, and actors have been labeled intelligent for their creativity yet they do not necessarily utilize superior problem solving skills in their work. This specific type of intelligence (ie: creativity) has been further divided into several categories such as musical intelligence, spatial intelligence and linguistic skills. However, yet again, they are too specified and cannot explain the totality of intelligence. In essence, the more concretely we start to define intelligence, the more we seem to diverge from its true meaning. Conventional criteria for intelligence, like the ones described above, help build a basic framework for attempting to define intellectual prowess, although further research is required to elaborate and solidify a reliable definition. From an evolutionary perspective, intelligence can be correlated with the ability to survive and raise offspring with the maximum fitness possible. Fundamentally, this entails the ability to adapt to a constant or volatile environment. Conversely, intelligence from a sociology perspective involves abilities such as acquiring interpersonal skills, understanding thoughts, beliefs, and intentions of others and perhaps even the ability to give appropriate feedback. After all, all of these attributes, if present within the general population,