What exactly constitutes intelligence? For example, is an electron intelligent?

Answer 1

General Intelligence is the ability to think about ideas, analyze situations, and solve problems. It is measured through various types of intelligence tests.

Intelligence was once thought to be one mental functioning process. Currently, through research, psychologists have identified several types of mental abilities that make up intelligence:

Most recently, educational psychologists have been developing theories concerning multiple intelligences.

These theories even further define specific types of abilities that fall under the umbrella of intelligence. They include concepts such as bodily-kinesthetic, artistic, and visual-spatial intelligence. These theories are most important in that they encourage educators to recognize unique abilities of every student. They also recognize the cultural aspects of cognitive functioning.

Answer 2

What defines intelligence is not something even those scientists who study it can agree on altogether. It is a word used to describes a variety of traits that are given other names such as creativity, reasoning, planning, learning, and making connections.

One of the big problems with this grab-bag of traits is that a lot of what it describes is not directly externally visible. The only way you can tell if someone is learning is by testing them or looking for changes in behaviour. An intelligent person who wants to be stubborn or deceptive can easily seem non-intelligent.

So is an electron intelligent? I don't think anyone has ever looked at a single electron long enough to be able to tell. Nor do I think too many people are looking - if electrons were intelligent, it would be hard to understand how that could even be. Where would they store memory? How would they process information? What would they use for senses? Most of the time when we do look at them, they seem to be no more animate than many other simple objects, much less intelligent.

Perhaps it is all just a ruse on the part of electrons everywhere. But the simpler and more likely explanation is that they are what they seem to be - cogs in the machinery of the universe.

Answer 3

I believe "intelligence" presumes consciousness and will. An amoeba is drawn toward food and withdraws from pain, but I don't think that constitutes intelligence, let alone an electron's following certain physical laws.

I think intelligence is relative, especially in terms of one's needs. A lot of "lower" animals have problem solving intelligence that would put people to shame. And consider the dolphin's ability to put together complex synchronized swimming routines with another dolphin in only seconds. Or the ability of nearly every other creature on earth to understand, and often to emulate, human speech without having a spoken language of its own, while we're constantly baffled by other animals' simple, basic gestures. Or Koko the gorilla's ease at making up very logical and understandable words for things she's never seen before, as "finger bracelet" for "ring." Or the EMH student I once had who had difficulty with simple math, but who could fold a sheet of paper into a 3-dimensional picture frame for his drawings, without measuring, cutting or pasting. Intelligence is much more than a number, apparently.

Answer 4

It does not constitutes any thing like the materials. Its a capability or skill.

Its the measurement for how efficient one's brain is in processing and storing data on to itself.

Its like flame, which can be seen and felt but which constitute not a single electron or proton !

Answer 5

According to Indian Philosophy, intelligence is a stuff like any other natural material. We are mixture4s of five visible elements plus mind stuff and intelligence stuff.