Skills, intelligence and their different value in varied environments
We live in a society where a big premium is put on intelligence.
Intelligence tests are used to determine in many cases one's path in life.
A lot of companies and schools rely heavily on this antiquated methods to make decisions about their structure or their hiring policy.
It seems ludicrous, since intelligence can span different areas, from the sophisticated to the more simple ones.
Let's take John, a smart kid from a big city, he can dismantle electronic equipments, fix them then put them back together with a minimal effort.
John is also good at mathematics, and trigonometry.
One summer holiday, he went to visit his uncle and his cousin Mike who live in the country side.
On the afternoon of his arrival, and after taking enough rest, he decided to go on a stroll around the nearby forest with Mike as a guide.
John, in preparation for his short trip checked the weather forecast, printed a map of the forest, and looked at some pictures taken by his uncle on different trips to familiarize himself with the area.
“All this data will help me get a good idea about the place and prepare myself for any situation might arise,” he confidently thought.
John managed after an hour of studying his data to get an idea of the shoes, the clothes, and the food he will need to bring along.
John was boasting teasingly to a rather quiet Mike about his abilities to adapt, study his environment and quickly make decisions that are adequate, all the while taking jabs at Mike's rather cursive clothes and flimsy foot wear.
Upon their arrival John was surprised at Mike's agility on the crater-like terrain. He looked like he was floating while wearing what John thought to be very inadequate footwear.
He knew how to cross strong-current brooks, and navigate steep, slippery downhills with the agility of a feline.
Mike was also grabbing fruits, leaves and blades of grass unknown to John, and leisurely snacking on them while he moved deftly through the forest.
John's acumen, intelligence and adaptation abilities that he was bragging about fell to the water, he was helpless in front of Mike superiority in this environment.
Persistent repetition creates abilities. We generally call them skills or intelligence when we deal with more "abstract" topics, like mathematics, or physics.
We could easily equate Mike's skills with John's intelligence. They both require countless repetitions, and an inordinate amount of time to reach the "mastery level" that they have achieved.
Abilities have different societal values. They range from essential, to accessory, to futile depending on our environment.
Farming skills would be highly praised in a farm, more than programming skills.
We normally use the word intelligence to refer to bookish learning. Its meaning got hijacked by schools and universities to the exclusion of other areas that are looked upon as somewhat boorish.
One summer holiday, he went to visit his uncle and his cousin Mike who live in the country side.
On the afternoon of his arrival, and after taking enough rest, he decided to go on a stroll around the nearby forest with Mike as a guide.
John, in preparation for his short trip checked the weather forecast, printed a map of the forest, and looked at some pictures taken by his uncle on different trips to familiarize himself with the area.
“All this data will help me get a good idea about the place and prepare myself for any situation might arise,” he confidently thought.
John managed after an hour of studying his data to get an idea of the shoes, the clothes, and the food he will need to bring along.
John was boasting teasingly to a rather quiet Mike about his abilities to adapt, study his environment and quickly make decisions that are adequate, all the while taking jabs at Mike's rather cursive clothes and flimsy foot wear.
Upon their arrival John was surprised at Mike's agility on the crater-like terrain. He looked like he was floating while wearing what John thought to be very inadequate footwear.
He knew how to cross strong-current brooks, and navigate steep, slippery downhills with the agility of a feline.
Mike was also grabbing fruits, leaves and blades of grass unknown to John, and leisurely snacking on them while he moved deftly through the forest.
John's acumen, intelligence and adaptation abilities that he was bragging about fell to the water, he was helpless in front of Mike superiority in this environment.
Persistent repetition creates abilities. We generally call them skills or intelligence when we deal with more "abstract" topics, like mathematics, or physics.
We could easily equate Mike's skills with John's intelligence. They both require countless repetitions, and an inordinate amount of time to reach the "mastery level" that they have achieved.
Abilities have different societal values. They range from essential, to accessory, to futile depending on our environment.
Farming skills would be highly praised in a farm, more than programming skills.
We normally use the word intelligence to refer to bookish learning. Its meaning got hijacked by schools and universities to the exclusion of other areas that are looked upon as somewhat boorish.
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