distinctions re intelligence

[kaigou]

Saving this for later use, rather than keep the tabs open for any longer:

Knowledge is the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity and is often gained through experience or association. In other words, it's what you already know.

Intelligence is the ability to learn or understand or deal with new or trying situations. In other words, it's the ability to successfully apply your knowledge.

Comments

[nonethefewer]

That's similar to the distinction I make between wisdom and intelligence, in D&D: intelligence is data, wisdom is the application of said.

[kaigou]

Except it's the reverse -- intelligence is the application (problem-solving).

...although intelligence itself can be broken into two types: the ability to apply known data or problem-solving methods to new problems (aka 'crystallized' intelligence), and the ability to problem-solve even when lacking any known data or empirical experience (aka 'fluid' intelligence). The former of which, incidentally, is often strongly culture-influenced/based.

[joisbishmyoga.livejournal.com]

My therapist and I spent most of our session today discussing this, actually, after I delighted him with the news that I'd spontaneously written a responsibilities list along the lines of "I am not required to get perfect grades; learning is for fun and personal enrichment". We discussed information vs. cognition, performance anxiety and off-track thinking, methods of test-writing, how some of the most brilliant people I know have a lesser degree (or none at all), and lots of other stuff. It was awesome.

[kaigou]

The corporate world definitely values knowledge over intelligence; it's a lot easier to measure knowledge, after all. Just ask for proof-of-graduation, of credentials, of various other fact-heavy classes or training. And that certainly gets you knowledgeable people, but it doesn't mean they'll know how to solve anything with that knowledge. As someone who's never been the most knowledgeable in the room -- but is almost always the most intelligent -- I can assure you, if you can fake knowledge -- or cram it into your head, enough to check off the boxes -- do so. It will probably always be valued a great deal more than any problem-solving skills, and in fact, will often credited by most employers as the source of your intelligence/problem-solving.

That is to say: most employers are woefully un-knowledgeable about knowledge vs intelligence... and rather than combat it, learn from me and do what you can to fake it. Easier, in the long run.

[(Anonymous)]

I've heard something similar:
"Knowledge is when you can identify a tomato as a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into the fruit salad."
So I wonder- would intelligence be figuring out how to successfully include tomato in a fruit salad?
Or maybe just going with the green salad instead.

[taithe]

A lot of people don't understand or can't recognize this distinction. When I confess to friends that I lack the intelligence to be a good scientist or medical doctor, they generally have the reaction of "but you're so smart!" I could cram as much knowledge and pseudo-knowledge into my brain as possible but I wouldn't be able to apply it with the skill needed into those kinds of occupations.

The lack of distinction does allow me to get away with being seen as an excellent student. I've been able to fool professors and my peers to a benefit. But then the realization struck me -- a lot of the "smart" students at my university are perceived as intelligent for the same reason I am. It's easy enough to hide when everyone is concerned with titles and numbers.