sheepdog, on Feb 10 2009, 07:43 PM, said:
Ok, I'm not sure where you are coming from on that. Intelligence, just like everything else, is genetic. Stupid parents have stupid children or at any rate, the odds for stupid children are much higher when their parents are stupid. ... It's all genetic.
sheepdog, on Feb 11 2009, 01:20 PM, said:
Actually, my remark was to truefusion who stated intelligence is metaphysical. Intelligence is a result of how well a persons brain works, the physical and chemical balances in the brain that make it function. Which of course, depends in part to genetics. I don't get where it's metaphysical.
What makes a person smart or intelligent? Is it (1) the ability to hold and repeat information (like a parrot), (2) number 1 and the ability to test well, (3) the ability to solve problems (well) without previous knowledge, (4) the previous three combined, (5) merely how well their brain functions, or (6) all of the above? You've chosen to define it as the fifth one on that list. That means they could fail every test given to them, be bad at solving problems and be completely ignorant of everything in existence and still be considered intelligent so long as they have a well functioning brain, according to your definition. That means even a mentally retarded person cannot be considered intelligent even if they are progressing towards a "normal" state of mind. You'll notice, however, you can't define "intelligence" without comparison, just like many things. If you can't compare the object with another object, you have no definition of the word "intelligent"—it means nothing; the object just
is. "Intelligence" is how we define it—there is no absolute definition for it.