Why do People Confuse Intelligence for Mental Capacity?

[Vain]

Yeah, I know it's not really a social issue, but until we get a debate section here, I'll be using this section for such threads.

Anyway, I have a problem. All throughout my school years I've had ignorant people mistake the two, and use them interchangeably. This is one of my pet peeves. "Smart" refers to mental capacity, and "intelligent" is just another word for knowledgeable. The two are DIFFERENT.


Smart:
–adjective
7. quick or prompt in action, as persons.
8. having or showing quick intelligence or ready mental capability: a smart student.
9. shrewd or sharp, as a person in dealing with others or as in business dealings: a smart businessman.
10. clever, witty, or readily effective, as a speaker, speech, rejoinder, etc.
11. dashingly or impressively neat or trim in appearance, as persons, dress, etc.
12. socially elegant; sophisticated or fashionable: the smart crowd.
13. saucy; pert: smart remarks.
14. sharply brisk, vigorous, or active: to walk with smart steps.
15. sharply severe, as a blow, stroke, etc.
16. sharp or keen: a smart pain.
17. Informal. equipped with, using, or containing electronic control devices, as computer systems, microprocessors, or missiles: a smart phone; a smart copier.
18. Computers. intelligent (def. 4).
19. Older Use. considerable; fairly large.

Knowledgeable:
–adjective
possessing or exhibiting knowledge, insight, or understanding; intelligent; well-informed; discerning; perceptive.


Now, some people are just born smarter than others. You can't become a genius if you're not born as one, although it is possible to take many factors into consideration such as environment, diet, and opportunities into consideration, all which could have a profound effect on smartness. Basically, not everyone is built the same. I'd say most people fall into the average range.

Intelligence or knowledgeable, on the other hand is different. "Book smarts" is obtained through hard work by studying. Anyone could become intelligent in any given subject if they dedicate time and effort to it. The difference lies in the persons mental capacity; some people are just faster learners so they are able to absorb the material in a shorter amount of time. I consider myself a slow learner, but I work hard. When I would get A's in high school, these kids would come up to me and say, "How did you get an A? You're shmart!" They would say the same thing about the Asian students. I would think, "No, they just WORK for their grades, something you aren't doing." There would be a gifted kid in one of my classes for several years. The kid was a genius. He never studied or took notes down; he remembered everything from class. Thing is, he was extremely lazy and apathetic towards school. In the end, he failed all his classes and had to become a super senior. He could have been a valedictorian but he didn't care about school at all.

So my point is that "smart" is not the same thing as "intelligent". People today are not knowledgeable in the differences between the two. Also, grades do not determine neither, but instead the individual's effort in the class, although being familiar with the material or a having a sharp mind certainly does help.

[Latin Knight]

hmmmmmmmmmm honestly I never decided to check to see if their was a difference. It's good to know though so thanks for telling me.


~Latin Knight

[En?gma]

Interesting.

[Vain]

Indeed. I'm regarded by most people as being very knowledgeable in certain subjects, although I'm ignorant when it comes to a lot of things, like politics. That brings up my next topic: ignorance vs stupidity.

Ignorance - the lack of knowledge or education

Stupidity - a poor ability to understand or to profit from experience

Then we have others, such as foolish (lack of good judgment) and retarded ( slow in mental, emotional or physical development). All four words are used interchangeably by most people who really don't know the difference. I'm sort of a vocabulary nerd, so I've always known the differences, even as a young child. So, although I can consider myself an intelligent and articulate person, I'm ignorant in a scores of subjects and still have much to learn. Stupidity? Not as likely as I'm often prone to learn from my mistakes. Hopefully someone may benefit from this post.

http://wordnet.princeton.edu/

[Latin Knight]

Originally Posted by Vain

Indeed. I'm regarded by most people as being very knowledgeable in certain subjects, although I'm ignorant when it comes to a lot of things, like politics. That brings up my next topic: ignorance vs stupidity.

Ignorance - the lack of knowledge or education

Stupidity - a poor ability to understand or to profit from experience

Then we have others, such as foolish (lack of good judgment) and retarded ( slow in mental, emotional or physical development). All four words are used interchangeably by most people who really don't know the difference. I'm sort of a vocabulary nerd, so I've always known the differences, even as a young child. So, although I can consider myself an intelligent and articulate person, I'm ignorant in a scores of subjects and still have much to learn. Stupidity? Not as likely as I'm often prone to learn from my mistakes. Hopefully someone may benefit from this post.

http://wordnet.princeton.edu/

I am not ignorant but by definition I seem to be stupid, foolish, and retarded.

I can take a test and get a passing grade on it even if I have never studied the material most of the time and yet I can never make good decisions in life that can profit me. It's really frustrating.

[Tejan0]

It's real simple




Most people are educated beyond their level of intelligence

[Latin Knight]

Originally Posted by Tejan0

It's real simple




Most people are educated beyond their level of intelligence

I think it has more to do with the fact that learning is so rigid and structure we don't even take into account the fact that some people use their left side of the brain to think more often and some use their right side to think and they end up learning in different ways. That's not even taking into account the vast variety of different ways like logical and sequential type of thinking that the two sides of the brain can do.

If it was more flexible and people learned based on their best type of thinking method and learned material that interested them and understood why they were learning then they would do well.

My tenth grade math teacher I asked why we had to learn this advanced math. Her answer was because when we leave school we could count tables faster if we become a waiter. I dropped out soon after. Seriously if teachers don't even know why they are teaching you the sh't they teach how do they expect you to pay attention when they have no reason or motivation to do so.

[Vain]

Originally Posted by Latin Knight

I am not ignorant but by definition I seem to be stupid, foolish, and retarded.

I can take a test and get a passing grade on it even if I have never studied the material most of the time and yet I can never make good decisions in life that can profit me. It's really frustrating.

Are you telling me you are literally retarded? Forget the dictionary definition for a second and be honest here. Because if so, this is going to change my perception of you greatly. For one, I'll have a greater deal of respect for you, as a retarded person (even mildly) it is difficult to just type words on a keyboard, let alone sentences without error. I mean, to express yourself clearly is sometimes difficult for a normal person. As for the others, I can only say you know yourself better than I. From past debates however, I can say you can be stubborn and stick to your guns. It took a lot for me to convince you to see my point of view on that thread about Mexicans and laziness a while back.

From your last sentence, I can say you probably see yourself as a smart person, just foolish. Well, we're all foolish at times, and we young people probably take the prize in that category. In general, the older you are, the more experience and wisdom you have, thus you are able to make better choices and give younger people with less life experience advice. The problem with today's society is that young people don't even care what the elders have to say anymore. They dismiss them as foolish old people who don't know what they're talking about, simply because they lived in a different time. Not taking advice from elders because you feel you know better than them is pretty foolish.

[Latin Knight]

Originally Posted by Vain

Are you telling me you are literally retarded? Forget the dictionary definition for a second and be honest here. Because if so, this is going to change my perception of you greatly. For one, I'll have a greater deal of respect for you, as a retarded person (even mildly) it is difficult to just type words on a keyboard, let alone sentences without error. I mean, to express yourself clearly is sometimes difficult for a normal person. As for the others, I can only say you know yourself better than I. From past debates however, I can say you can be stubborn and stick to your guns. It took a lot for me to convince you to see my point of view on that thread about Mexicans and laziness a while back.

From your last sentence, I can say you probably see yourself as a smart person, just foolish. Well, we're all foolish at times, and we young people probably take the prize in that category. In general, the older you are, the more experience and wisdom you have, thus you are able to make better choices and give younger people with less life experience advice. The problem with today's society is that young people don't even care what the elders have to say anymore. They dismiss them as foolish old people who don't know what they're talking about, simply because they lived in a different time. Not taking advice from elders because you feel you know better than them is pretty foolish.

Edit:

I just realized it isn't anyone's business. So I am keeping this to myself.

[Vain]

Damnit!