In the simplest terms, intelligence is one of the most popular and, at the same time, elusive concepts that drew the attention of thinkers, scientists, and educators. Firstly, it is worth admitting that the intelligence definition that has been considered up to now and which has its roots in the works of such scholars as Francis Galton or Alfred Binet is focused on intelligence as on the specific kind of mental activities; however, the modern theories of intelligence prove that intelligence consists not only of cognitive but also of emotional, social and personal competencies. This reader’s manual gives an overview of intelligence starting from the basic forms of intelligence and culminating with the means of defining it.
In the quest to understand the complexities of the human mind, one question consistently arises: what can intelligence be defined as? This rather vague idea has been investigated by scholars belonging to very different fields including philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, and holders of all these positions attempted to outline the nature of intelligence. Thus, in this article, readers will learn about the definition of intelligence, the different types of intelligence examined, and the methods of its assessment.
In a generic sense, intelligence has been described as an individual’s capacity to gain knowledge as well as utilize it. However, this definition is rather limited to encompass the variety of human cognitive skills and proficiency. Howard Gardner is a theorist who offers his theory on multiple intelligences which are Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Music, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist intelligences.
Types of Intelligence
This one deals with comprehension of language as well as the capacity to use language orally or in writing. Linguistically intelligent persons are found in writers, poets, and persons who practice speech and language skills in their day-to-day occupations.
People whose abilities fall under the logical-mathematical category are very good at solving problems and analyzing issues. Practical intelligence is usually possessed by scientists, engineers, as well as mathematicians.
H Graphic intelligence means the ability to see and acquire the actual spatial pattern and the potential ability to build or redesign the reproduction of a feature of the real world. It has been observed that owners of residual creative specializations, for example, architects, artists, pilots, and designers have a stronger spatial intelligence.
This is a kind of reasoning that deals with the capability to comprehend, create, and educate musical rhythm and harmony. The upper range of musical intelligence is evident in musicians, composers, and music theorists.
The most familiar method of assessing the level of intelligence is the intelligence quotient or IQ test. These tests seek to determine a person’s intelligence in terms of general knowledge, intensive reasoning, and short-term memory respectively. Despite the popularity of using IQ tests, they have received controversies based on the fact that they are culturally laden and also fail to test all facets of intelligence in individuals.
Another important component of intelligence is emotional intelligence or the ability to accurately perceive personal and other people’s emotions, as well as to regulate them. What is emotional intelligence? Evidently, as a fundamental aspect of the human persona, it determines how we can succeed in our personal or professional endeavors, solve interpersonal and intrapersonal dilemmas, and effectively lead or manage a group.
The Intelligence Quotient abbreviated as IQ is a numerical value that is used as a metric – a way of measuring intelligence in people. Frequently asked questions are What is your IQ and what does an average IQ? These questions represent society’s trends, which highly value numbers. The general understanding of what is regarded as a high IQ involves portraying a score of above 130, which means that one possesses an extraordinary intelligence level.
IQ tests contain questions in the form of picture tests, puzzles, diagrams, and designs that are solved mechanically.
Knowledge of what is an IQ test must be ascertained. This is done through several exams that examine different aspects of intelligence such as logical mathematical, spatial, and language intelligence. Thus, there are always high hopes for those with a good IQ, regarding their future achievements at school and work.
When we ask what is normal IQ, then we mean the figures ranging between 85 and 115, which is typical of the population. However, what is high IQ is a set of scores above 120, although what is referred to as genius IQ may be scores above 140.
The prejudiced question ‘What is my intelligence type’ requires one to understand that intelligence is not singular. Linguistic, logical, spatial, musical, body-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist are the types of intelligence that people have. Collectively these demonstrate how the human mind is far from simple apparatus.
Such questions as What is the official IQ test and what is my IQ test free show how people are searching for standard and free intelligence tests. It is possible to name several of them: the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales.
Getting to know what IQ stands for and IQ what stands for is basic. IQ is an acronym for Intelligence Quotient is a score arrived at from tests that purport to measure intelligence in individuals. There is not much in common to define what a high IQ or a low IQ is, so, normally a high IQ is assumed as an IQ different from average.
What is a high IQ test is somewhat similar to what is a regular IQ, basically in the sense that a high IQ test contains tougher problems than a regular IQ test. Such tests are designed to focus on the upper limits of an individual’s bits of intelligence, to assess their knowledge-processing potential.
What is average intelligence? The IQ test reveals the general population distribution of intellect levels. Knowledge of what is the average person’s IQ is useful in so far as placing one’s score in perspective.
Thereby, the qualifiers in ascertaining which test yields a good IQ include validity, reliability, and coverage. A good IQ test should cover many cognitive domains, and the results of the test should offer valuable information concerning a person’s intelligence quotient.
In thinking of what is the average IQ for an adult or what is a good IQ result, it is essential to note that people’s intelligence quotient may fluctuate in their lifetime due to several factors among which are education, environment, and health.
The area of awareness that is created within the teachings of what is a high IQ considered is still an important one since it informs people that high IQ people are generally known to have great problem-solving abilities, creativity, and analytical brains. To be able to locate such people from the rest of society, the term average IQ of a human provides a benchmark.
Concerning average adult IQ, knowledge concerning historical characters such as what is the IQ of Albert Einstein is evoked. It is regarded that IQ of Einstein was nearly 160 which makes him a genius.
I have only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me,
Can’t refuse it.
Didn’t seek it,
Didn’t choose it.
But it’s up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it.
Give account if I abuse it.
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.
Benjamin E. Mays
Can you see it now? It helps to have intelligence in those minutes. Intelligence is a character trait—a seemingly innate easy-without-effort ability to find the best possible response for this minute when skillful action is required; intelligence is the ability to act skillfully and appropriately every such minute as and when they arise.
If it is so simple to define, why is there so much controversy around the concept of intelligence? Well, this is why we are presenting this book on the quantum science of intelligence. We claim that human intelligence is much more cogent than the much-touted popular view of machine artificial intelligence. Why? Because of consciousness. Consciousness gives us the freedom to explore infinite potentialities, a freedom that is not available in any system of programmed behavior. To boot, quantum physics has given us a science of consciousness. Now that we have a science of consciousness, and since intelligence is one of the important often used faculties of consciousness, we can clarify all the issues involved. And this precisely is what we demonstrate in our book.
The term “intelligence” derives from the Latin intelligence, meaning “faculty of understanding” and consists of the prefix inter (“between”) and the radical legere (“to choose”, “to gather”) or ligare (“to bind”) which suggests the ability to link elements together, to make logical connections between different elements.
This definition of the concept is biased of course by the sociocultural confluence that put together the word. Notice it is talking about mental intelligence; in fact, you can even see a tendency to define the mentation involved as gathering bits of information together logically for your decision-making.
Let’s look at how a dictionary defines it. Google.com calls up the following definition: Intelligence is the “ability to apply knowledge and skills.”
The good thing here is that both definitions agree that intelligence is an ability, a faculty. Whose faculty? The dictionary definition does not say. This is because today, much confusion is created by the claim that we are our brain and nothing but, that there is artificial intelligence—computer, mechanical intelligence—as or more powerful than human intelligence. One of the dictionary synonyms for intelligence is brain power. Go figure.
So, should the original etymological intent of including conscious understanding in the definition of intelligence stand or not? By the way, the etymological root of the word consciousness itself suggests that it is the vehicle to know with. In this way, some convergence of concepts emerges. Our consciousness is what we know and intelligence is the faculty of using that knowledge for appropriate action as necessary.
Ballantine, Martens, and Stairs (2007) describe intelligence test options as the different available forms of intelligence tests that may be administered to an individual. They include pre-eligibility tests conducted on paper to more sophisticated computer-based tests to measure specific cognitive skills. Characterizing average human IQ and a normal IQ for adults aids in the comprehension of these tests’ outcomes.
The dictionary definition and our intuition both use skill as part of intelligence. You can have verbal skills, musical skills, athletic skills, emotional skills, transpersonal relationship skills, or even spiritual skills. Many researchers feel that current worldview proclivities emphasize verbal and conceptual/logical skills (measured by the IQ test) more than our other skills; hence they want those skills to be included in the branding of intelligence. In this way, we have a plethora of types of intelligence proposed by pundits: athletic intelligence, conceptual/verbal intelligence, street smart intelligence, musical intelligence, artistic intelligence; emotional intelligence, transpersonal intelligence, spiritual intelligence, intuitive intelligence, creative intelligence, and so forth.
How to classify them is a simple way? Some of them, conceptual/verbal, street mart, and even athletic intelligence serve our “lower” survival needs, call them lower intelligence. The rest serve our higher needs such as love; call them higher intelligence.
Aside from materialism, another feature of rationalism is male dominance. Our brain is built in such a way (via evolution) that males are better at rational processing, and females pay more attention to emotions and relationships. In the rational era, even when religions dominated our worldview, men dominated women. Emotions were relegated to an inferior dimension of consciousness. When materialism was pronounced as scientific, rationalism got another boost. Emotions have little standing in materialist science: thinking is computable, emotions are not. In this way, Descartes said it well: I think, therefore, I am. No mention of emotions.
However, more recently in the 1990s neuroscientists have recognized Descartes’ error and even figured out how the brain is wired for too much negativity—the negative emotional brain circuits in the midbrain operate independently of the neocortex. This discovery generated calls for emotional intelligence.
In management practices, what is emotional intelligence in leadership is of Read More Importance. In General, a high EI may help leaders work with employees, create a suitable atmosphere, and solve various organizational problems. In the same way, cognition of what is emotional intelligence in workplace provides the professionals with the means to foster a healthy working environment.
In India and Tibet, and later in China and Japan, feelings in the body have been recognized too as another source of emotions. In the Eastern view, emotion is feeling plus thought. There are centers of feeling along the spine called chakras. When the mind gives meaning to these feelings, not only do we get negative emotions but also positive emotions.
In quantum science, we can explain the feeling centers along the spine using the idea of the biologist Rupert Sheldrake. In quantum science, feeling itself is seen as the experience of vital energy, and vitality. Quantum science provides us with a viable way to emotional intelligence by combining the ideas of negative emotions and pleasure centers in the brain, the chakras in the body, and applying creativity not only to the movements of thought but also to movements of vital energy. The result is a more effective and usable scientific model for developing emotional intelligence.
Brain
I have already mentioned several factors about the brain that affect our search for intelligence. They are:
it is what it is after the adult brain is achieved at something like the age of twenty-one. Recent work of neuroscientists has demonstrated neuroplasticity. The brain neurons can make new connections and go on creating new brain circuits; only that we have to be creative. In other words, creative intelligence has infinite scope. Both horizontally and vertically. Horizontally to venture into musical intelligence, artistic intelligence, scientific intelligence, sexual intelligence, etc. of outer-directed creativity. And vertically for the crucial production of new transformed leaders of moral authority who can walk their talk.
Evolutionarily, the brain is found to control the body’s centers of feeling. But again, once we can find our way to being the brain’s boss, we can coordinate the brain and the body. This requires creativity in the vital arena, a creative quantum leap to better functioning of the chakras. All this is part of our book.
You must make a special note of this: as we venture into higher intelligence, our sense of ourselves begins to change to become more and more inclusive. Initially, our intelligence is all self-oriented: what is the best response to this situation for me? But with expanded consciousness, we are open to considering the welfare of our community and society when making intelligent decisions.
Today, not only do we need intelligent decisions for personal matters—how to deal with emotional stress, how to deal with CVD-19, how to deal with job security, and all that—but also intelligent decisions for how to deal with the grave social crisis that is responsible for the personal crisis; this is especially true for people in a leadership position. The truce between science and religion in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries has done good by our great social systems of capitalism, democracy, and liberal education. But after the truce broke down in the second half of the twentieth century, increasingly these great civilized institutions are in crisis. The me-centered transactional response of our people and leaders is grossly inadequate to deal with the present moment. We need to engage in higher intelligence.
Enumerating what belongs to the fluid intelligence definition and what is fluid IQ identifies the capacity to think and solve tests that one has not encountered before without relying on past experiences. In contrast, crystallized intelligence is described as the accumulation of knowledge through learning.
We have been somewhat aware of this; transpersonal psychology and deep ecology movements are commendable attempts to inspire people to higher intelligence. But of course, the big question is, where is the leadership? Where is the moral authority for change? The lack of moral authority produces “pretend” philosophies like humanism (human is all we have and human beings must follow values to save civilization) and existentialism (existence precedes essence or moral values but so what? We need essence even though we have to pretend. Again, to save civilization). However, after fifty years of this moral confusion, people are tired of “political or social correctness.”
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most important treatises of the Indian spiritual wisdom tradition. And there is a most important message in that book and we paraphrase: when righteousness is threatened, and it is threatened in every era of human development when evil rises threatening to bring down civilization, to prevent the fall of civilization, people of higher intelligence (in India they are called avatars) appear to the rescue of the good and for the perish of the evil.
The debate on the nature of intelligence being innate or changeable is one that has not been easily concluded. It is proven that heredity has a strong link to a person’s IQ, but studies have also established that environment affects intelligence too. Therefore, one’s education, socioeconomic status, and ability to access stimulating experiences significantly influence one’s Intellectual Capital. Moreover, such things as reading, dozing, and learning something new can stimulate the brain and can give one some boost and enhance one’s brain functions.
Some people are ready, the fifteen percent we keep mentioning. Some aborning leaders are ready to be avatars. All we need is transformational education and moral authority and that is being provided by the advance of quantum science, a genuine scientific model for human nature, behavior, and development.
This sums it up right now for us quantum aficionados as well as why we need to understand higher intelligence and help people grow higher intelligence so that they come to the aid of our planet. The planet is in crisis, do not doubt it. Democracy is threatened by pretenders to dictatorship; capitalism devours greed; higher education is not aimed at people’s enlightenment, protection from climate change, and unity of people against Their separateness from each Other and civilization, this is the crisis today.
The Bhagavad Gita also tells us this: yoga, integration, consists of skillful action, intelligent action. Yoga, integration is the way to higher intelligence. Two thousand years ago, Jesus formulated what constitutes the challenge of integration. Said he:
When you make the two ones,
and when you make the inner as the outer
and the outer as the inner,
and the above as the below,
and when you make
the male and the female into a single one
so that the male will not be male
and the female not be female,
then shall you enter the Kingdom.
(Gospel according to Thomas)
Quantum science begins with the integration of our best sources of wisdom: science and spirituality. Note that by science we do not mean science under a materialist dogma and by spirituality we do not mean religion which also is based on dogma. Quantum science also teaches the science and art of creative transformation that leads to higher intelligence; we call the process quantum yoga.
Therefore, intelligence is one of the more complex components that differentiates our lives in fundamental ways. Research today shows that there is partial credibility to the belief that genetics does impact a person’s general intelligence quotient as well as there are so many ways that one can use to boost or better their mental abilities. One should follow an active mind performing advanced tasks and lead a healthy life to contribute towards the achievement of full intellectual capabilities.
Ultimately, intelligence is not the accumulation of information but how that information is utilized for living in and dealing with their environments. Therefore, let us carry on facing the intellectual battles, expanding our knowledge, and growing wiser every day. Indeed, knowledge is power as the famous saying goes!
So, rational or machine intelligence, to creative intelligence to emotional intelligence to archetypal or spiritual intelligence, that is the progression of intelligence looked upon with the quantum worldview with many different shades in between that we unfold in this book. Are you Interested?
I have listened,
And I have looked with open eyes
I have poured my vitality on this earth
Seeking the unknown within the known.
And I sing out loud
In amazement.
The planet, our world, today is full of crises, full of problems to solve, with people of only low intelligence to guide the situation and all may seem hopeless. But fear not, as you explore engaging all your vitality and discover higher intelligence, these same problems will no longer look unsolvable and you too will sing out with amazement.
By Amit Goswami, PhD, a retired physicist from the University of Oregon, USA. For more insights and educational resources, visit Facebook, Cqaedu.
Excerpts from – The awakening of intelligence
