Intelligence and Wisdom

Categories: Intelligence Knowledge Problem Solving Software

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Intelligence is an abstract term whose definition depends upon current social values and scientific ideas. Intelligence is the ability to understand and learn from experience or in other words, it is the ability to retain and acquire knowledge known as mental ability. An intelligent person has the capacity for adequate reasoning, problem solving, learning, communication and planning (Gillespie Diane, 1992. Intelligence is the ability to learn from, understand and interact with the surrounding environment.

In the modern society, intelligence refers to a variety of mental capabilities such the ability to solve problems, reason, learn quickly, learn from experience or comprehend complex ideas.

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The concept of intelligence is related to thinking capacity of an individual and ability to apply wisdom in solving certain problems. An individual’s intelligence is measured or obtained through intelligence quotient tests. The tests aim at measuring the capacity of an individual to solve problems and reason.

A good example in real world situation of an intelligent person is Bill Gates who developed Microsoft.

Ranked as one of the world’s wealthiest people, Bill Gates came up with a software company that is in use today. He used his intelligence and today Gates is a known entrepreneur and promoter of computer revolution. Bill Gates used knowledge a reflection of how wise he is to come up with software widely used by computer operators. This leads to a close link between intelligence and wisdom as is applicable in an individual’s life.

There are certain aspects of individual’s intelligence that do not measure up to the expected standards of life and these needs improvement.

Some individual’s use their brain or knowledge to violate laws and other ethical aspects which is illegal. For instance, hackers use their intelligence in information technology to access other people’s information, which is unethical. Wisdom is a common term applied in real life situations and it is a Biblical term that was given to David.

Wisdom means accumulated knowledge that reflects a test of time and it means the ability to discern information for truth. Wisdom is gained through personal triumphs or traits and both positive and negative experiences in life (Wagman Morton, 1993) Exposure of an individual to life experience is very important as a means of measuring intelligence. Wisdom is a reflection of values and criteria applied to an individual’s knowledge and helps individuals to differentiate between wrong and right.

Wisdom relates to the ideas of intelligence in which wisdom is the practical concept of successful intelligence. This means that for an individual to be intelligently successful, he or she should apply traits of wisdom (Barsalou Lawrence, 1992) Knowledge is of essence because an intelligent person has thorough knowledge and experience in many life experiences. Intelligence encompasses the application of various wisdom traits such as perceptions and insight to produce desired results.

Wisdom can be measured through observation of an individual’s action which is supposed to be consistent with his or her ethical considerations. Self-knowledge is another measure of a wise person which reflects intelligence in an individual. In this aspect, King David is a good example of a person who used intelligent when he killed Goliath with a sling but does not show wisdom because he just aimed at the forefront which was not protected. It is a Biblical teaching that relates to psychology of mind and application of natural intelligent to overcome certain problems.