Running Head: Intelligence Villa 1

General intelligence and intelligent people

Intelligence is defined as ​the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

According to the book ​Invitation to the lifespan b​ y Kathleen Berger, there are various

different types of intelligence, one being general intelligence. That is defined as “The idea of

g​ assumes that intelligence is one basic trait, underlying all cognitive abilities. According to

this concept, people have varying levels of this general ability” (Berger, 2016, p.439). This

basically means that we all have general intelligence which can be inferred from various

abilities we have such as vocabulary, memory and reasoning. This idea also suggests that we

all have different levels of general intelligence thus putting some people more ahead than

others.

With these definitions in mind, we can all think of people we know who we would

consider to be intelligent. For me personally, I would say my dad is very intelligent because

he has so much knowledge he has acquired throughout the years and he applies it daily.

Though we consider some people intelligent, those people are very capable of doing

unintelligent things. Everyone makes mistakes, and I believe that is part of growth and

becoming more intelligent. We as humans are more prone to act based off the experiences we

have and the mistakes we make, thus promoting growth and learning. The unintelligent things

intelligent people do can be anything from helping someone cheat on a test to robbing a store.

It can be getting on the wrong flight or making the wrong assumptions. There are numerous

different unintelligent things we do every day and they are often a result of our emotional

instability or irrational thinking. Our thinking can be clouded because of stress or problems in

our environment, but just because people make mistakes and do unintelligent things doesn’t

mean those people instantly become unintelligent. The knowledge and skills they have

acquired are still there, but their poor judgements lead them to make the wrong decisions.
Running Head: Intelligence Villa 2

That is why I would still consider someone intelligent despite unintelligent actions, because

we are prone to mess up to learn and grow. There is a saying that states one cannot know

happiness until they have experienced sadness and disappointment. I believe the same applies

with intelligence; one can not be very intelligent until they have applied what they know and

gain experience and learn from the mistakes they are bound to make. Those are what makes

them stronger and more intelligent.

There are intelligent people all around the world, but I don’t think I ever really had

the thought that some of the most intelligent people yet might be in a homeless shelter or

struggling to live. After reading the prompt asking if I ever considered some of the people

with the most potential might be homeless, I immediately agreed. It is not a thought that has

found its way to my mind, but it makes perfect sense. People are homeless for millions of

reasons, and some can’t do much about it without help. These conditions people are in don’t

define who they are and what they are capable of. I don’t think these people are failures,

rather that they made a mistake somewhere in the path and still need to learn from it. I think

the argument being made here is that everyone has incredible potential but not everyone

knows how to use it. Some make mistakes, while others are put in difficult situations. This

concept agrees with the idea of general intelligence as it suggests some people have more

potential than others, as in some people have different levels of intelligence that gives them

an advantage.

After learning about the different types of intelligence, I would say that it is not

something that can every truly be measured and there is not one source we can give credit to

for it. There are way to many factors that play into how intelligent a person is and why. I

don’t think everyone has the same potential just because life is an unfair playing field. Some

are dealt with great cards, while others are born with disabilities or health problems that
Running Head: Intelligence Villa 3

disable them from doing the same things. That is not to say these people can’t succeed, it is

just suggesting that it is a lot harder to thus affecting their potential.