Are highly intelligent people more likely to have true beliefs than someone of average intelligence?

Answer 1

What a person believes has nothing whatsoever to do with their intelligence.

The smartest scientist and the person with the lowest IQ can share similar beliefs.

Answer 2

No, but they are likely to arrive at conclusions faster than a person of average intelligence.

Which does not mean that those conclusions will be correct.

Sometimes I wonder if the so-called highly intelligent gurus in most areas got that way simply by making the same number of blunders as everyone else, just in less time. And learned from how they made those blunders and used that information to stop doing the things that led to bad conclusions.

[Worked for me anyway. Not that I claim to be some uber-genius but the test scores seem to indicate that my momma's second son has a good set of batteries in his 3 lb computer.... ;-) ]

So my answer is that a person of average intelligence who takes the time to think things through the first time will probably arrive at a true belief before a highly intelligent but less rational person.

Answer 3

Frankly, I don't how to respond to this question.

Studies show that the more educated a person is, the less religious he/she is. This is the psychological answer.

However, you question has certain concepts that mix two belief systems: Intelligence higher versus lower and belief true or other wise.

Intelligence is an observed characteristic. Some people by their action are more or less able to do things. There is nothing about this characteristic that determines belief.

What you believe is yours. You respond to reveal knowledge but accepting, not accepting or do nothing (theist, atheist, and agnostic). Everyone beliefs his reveal knowledge is true.

There are observations that you may or may not be true or false. However, there is the scientific method to verify that observation, it is not a matter of faith.

We live in a world where there is revelation and science. Intelligence, true/falseness are observations requiring no reveal knowledge. Belief (faith/believing) is how a person responds to reveal knowledge. Each person encounters reveal knowledge and how he/she responds is individual. I frankly doubt you would say your beliefs are false.

Answer 4

What are true beliefs? People create their own truths based upon their beliefs. Intelligence itself does not preclude truth. Rather, the way one uses their intelligence correlates to the extent of truth in one's life. Often 'untrue beliefs' can be described as not having a basis in reality, superstitious, biased: ignorant. In order to embrace truth, one must root out ignorance; where do these 'untrue beliefs' come from? One cannot do this without effort, some call this particular kind of effort a particular kind of intelligence. Most call it meditation, which holds at best an INDIRECT correlation to intelligence.

Answer 5

I think you have to define "intelligence". People can score high on IQ tests and not be emotionally intelligent, or have poor social understanding.

But I think that highly intelligent people who have developed critical thinking skills and empathy are going to be much more successful at finding truth than people who are weak in any one of these attributes.

Answer 6

Intelligence can certainly help in having a true belief.

Answer 7

Absolutely not. To have true beliefs you must first part with false beliefs. But if you're stubborn or thick as a brick, it will take longer and a "highly" intelligent individual may be a victim of his/her own intelligence by rendering their thought stubborn and immovable.

Answer 8

I actually believe true beliefs that can not be compromised comes from convictions. Convictions come from faith. Faith must be received, it is not really understood with the mind. It is received in the Spirit. It is difficult to explain and must be experienced. Since it is not a matter of mental capabilities. It does not give more advantages to highly intelligent people. That wouldn't be fair.

Answer 9

No, because highly intelligent people tend to believe in themselves and what they think more than whatever the truth may be. For example, many scientists (not all) believe there is no God, and they also believe they are intelligent for having come to that conclusion. Doesn't mean they're right though, eh?

Answer 10

not at all.

sometimes there are those that are highly intelligent that are caught up in the facts and never really gain a sense of self or personal beliefs. their whole lives are based on facts and nothing else.

Answer 11

In historical terms...yeah. Einstein, Wilson...the so called "highly intelligent" people were spritual to an extent. Had thier own religious beliefs and so on. I guess "true" would depend on what that particular person believes. It seems people are basing thier beliefs on "political correctness", or what other people believe or don't believe. Instead of basing it on thier own faith, or intuition. These "highly intelligent" people believed what they believed based on thier own sense of faith...not others.