I wonder how people go about measuring intelligence.
Is intelligence about how much you know, or the amount of knowledge you have?
My apologies to those who thought so, because I so disagree with that.
Why should one be equipped with so much knowledge which you may not need, when you will not be applying it in life, or perhaps even talk about it when you hang out with your friends?
Wasn't it pointless learning something which is not useful to oneself?
Wasn't it a waste of time reading up on something which you probably use it less than once in your whole life?
I just don't see the point.
I quote one living example of an intelligent man - my very own grandfather.
My grandfather live thru the years of the wars in Malaya, hence he was (and is) without much knowledge. I'm not even sure if he has completed his primary education. But with as much knowledge that he possessed at the age of 12, he was selling ice-cream in the streets of Malaya by then. Today, he owns his very house and a durian orchard, and he even has a textile business which has been passed down to my father.
Don't you think it is really amazing that he can own so much assets right now with just a relatively little knowledge? He is, indeed, one smart man I've seen.
Contrary to this intelligent man, I name one of my father's friend.
He was born much later, after the wars in Malaysia. He was given good education, up to the tertiary level. He owns an engineering degree, and mark my words when I say, the degree is from NUS.
But he has nothing right now, after graduating for more than 10 years - not even good financial plannings for his kids.
Judge it yourself. Do we really need a lot of knowledge to be called smart?
If you scored high in exams, it may not necessarily mean that you are smart - you just did study for the exam. Of course, it is your responsibility as a student to score high.
For a law student, reading 50 textbooks a day isn't going to make you any smarter - it only means you have read a lot. Go buy a degree from any universities (Joke, get it?), for some are willing to sell it nowadays (This is real).
Number One* - John Legend
7 years ago
11 comments:
Intelligence is not knowledge, WenWen. They taught us in school that intelligence is the ability to find a solution for problems in various situations. That's why if you do IQ tests, they won't ask you Who was the 1st president of USA, but they will give you various mathematical or logical problems to solve.
That's why one person can have a lot of knowledge, but may not be very intelligent, while sometimes a simple man with no education can be very intelligent.
Thanks for highlighting my point, MKL. That's exactly what I am telling.
I think that previous generations had an easier time acquiring land and wealth with what we would today consider relatively little education. The same holds true in the US. My grandparents didn't go to college, but they live comfortably now. My dad didn't go to college, but he's a supervisor that pulls 70k a year.
Nowadays though, people are too hung up on how many pieces of paper with fancy words you can produce when applying for a job. They forget about natural talent, common sense, and ability.
I've met a lot of people that have a lot of certifications and degrees, but they're dumb as a box of rocks and do their job worse than a 10 year old could.
I think intelligence is about more than how much you can memorize and regurgitate. It's about how well you internalize and process information and come to rationale conclusions and decisions. It's about how you perceive the world and the people around you and interact with them. Intelligence can't be measured by certifications, or by tests (because some geniuses weren't able to pass primary school).
Everybody has their own right to choice the way they want to live. We all need to respect their decision, even though one might disagree. The statement you made reflects a lot of people. That would include ME? I also have college degree in Architecture and I am a stay home mom for 12 year with nothing to show except for a very happy family. Is this being NOT intelligent? Am I stupid or rubbish? Please need your advice. javascript:void(0)
Everybody has their own right to choice the way they want to live. We all need to respect their decision, even though one might disagree. The statement you made reflects a lot of people. That would include ME? I also have college degree in Architecture and I am a stay home mom for 12 year with nothing to show except for a very happy family. Is this being NOT intelligent? Am I stupid or rubbish? Please need your advice.
Hunnay, of course you've gotta be smart to pass an exam! what did you think you needed? HUGE boobs and a pretty face? well, that MAY work but seeing you dont have ANY of those, not even intelligence, i guess life must be a total bitch for you.
i feel sorry for you.
and you totally contradict yourself in every darn post.
learn up, darling.
@brad - well to me ability to memorize isn't a way of measuring intelligence - it only shows how hardworking you are (which I'm sorry that I have to disagree). But yeah all I'm trying to highlight here is certification doesn't show how intelligence a person is.
@anonymous - my apologies if I haven't properly worded myself whilst I wrote this post. I wish to point out that I did not call anyone NOT SMART nor STUPID nor RUBBISH. Well at least you have a very happy family, if it suffices to you, why bother being intelligent?
I'm not trying to say that you're stupid, just you never utilize your knowledge and it all goes to waste when it can all be of contributions to society. But at the end of the day, I respect your choice of being a home mom, for I'm still really really young and I do not know much about building a family yet.
Lastly my apologies if my improper wordings offended you.
@merlin - wow, I do not know what exactly is the reason you are THAT pissed off with my post. I never say one doesn't need to be smart to pass an exam, but rather I'm saying that one passing an exam doesn't mean he's smart.
And who are you to judge my life? You don't even know who I am. Just let me make my own mistakes to learn. Thanks for dropping by anyway. =)
LOL. you kena tembak for god know reason why :P
well, we get knowledge not just from the book. apparently, we get the knowledge from our daily life too..
your granpa is so successful now coz he gain lots of experience through out these years.
an intelligent man will make use of their knowledge and experience to apply them onto something..
HAHA. if you dont agree then do nothing la.. i dont want to kena shoot like you did XD
And who are you to judge people's life?
in my view, inteligence is the ability to use the knowledge u have!
some people can have a lot of knowledge but if they do not know how to use it or apply it, it is wasted!!!!
@ievonn - So scared die? LOL. Sorry to say I do not agree that experience can be equated to intelligence. They're 2 different things altogether, though in life both are required to work together for one to be sucessful.
@Anonymous - It's just general comment. Nobody is judging others' life.
@Mun Onn - Totally agree! =) Lecturers are truly lecturers.
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