posted on Jun, 25 2005 @ 09:16 AM
Dear Friends,
One of the most important question that can be raised and can also challenge different aspects of our lives, is the following:
'Is intelligence a matter of biological functions, or just a perception of what we think of intelligence?'
Another name for intelligence is cognitive ability, therefore we need to ask ourselves if cognitive ability is a matter of our biological functions,
or just a perception that has been created, shaped, and maintained for the last few centuries and so.
There are plenty of people as well as professionals and educators who believe that intelligence is something that you either 'have it' or 'don't
have it'. This is probably a global 'feeling' and a reflection of how we perceive intelligence, although research and literature as well as biology
and science show remarkably different results, which are not that well promoted to the public for reasons i would like you to think and debate, since
this is a tread we can discuss and exchange ideas.
We first need to acknowledge that every person is different because he/she has different experiences, ideas, thoughts, and worldviews, but that's
absolutely fine. Every person learns in different ways, acts in different ways, perceives in different ways, evaluate information in different
ways.
We also need to think that individuals have different starting points in life, which is very important, and coming from different religious, ethnic,
social-econimic, and political backgrounds, and this may affect the way they learn, but we are not actually talking about the way they learn, rather
than the ability to learn.
'The ability to perceive, memorise, process, and critically evaluate information is called intelligence or cognitive ability'
This is part of a publication I am preparing, even though I am a Physicist & Mathematician, and not an expert in education, literature, and
philosophy. In my spare time i do like to educate myself covering many topics from other areas rather than my own, and i do beleive that multi-faced
education is the best education a person can get.
Coming back to our problem, do you think that intelligence is something we are carrying on from the beginning of our lives, or something that can be
improved, shaped, and expanded with the passage of time?
You don't have to restrict yourself in the question I am making, you can add up your own question or interpetation.
Let me tell you what i think, and what i have found over the last 2 years of my study in the human brain.
Even though we are different in many ways, and we do have different starting points in life & education, and biologically we are not perfect since
there are peolpe with learning difficulties, i do strongly see that:
INTELLIGENCE IS NOT A MATTER OF OUR BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES & FUNCTIONS
The most of the human beings have been fed with the idea of intelligence as a product of our biological functions, but why??
The most of the human beings actually believe that indeed intelligence is a matter of 'biology', but why??
The whole idea has been created, shaped, and maintained for the last few centuries, for the purspose of maintaining what already exists:
THE ESTABLISHMENT
Imagine what is going to happen if people start adopting a very simple technique: Reading-Studying-Exchanging Ideas
Then the answer is again simple:
A TOTAL REFORM OF THE SOCIAL-ECONOMIC & POLITICAL SYSTEM WILL BE INEVITABLE
Every one must understand the following: You were not born with more or less brain, you become intelligent if you spend a considerable amount of time
and effort, and this is a painfull mental process.
The idea that people become intelligent or achieve in their lives, by getting maximum output with minimum input is absolutely non-sense and in favour
of the current political and social-economic system-Think about this!!!!!
Another statement made by many: 'This maths is a pain, i can't get any sense of it....'
(I said maths because it is my subject)
Well, if you find it hard then SPEND SOME EFFORT AND FEEL SOME PAIN!!!!!
ONLY THIS WAY YOU LEARN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Waiting for replies,
An old member,
TN1