Intelligence

Had an interesting conversation today about the nature of intelligence...the more I think about it, the more I equate intelligence with the ability to learn. Pattern recognition, comprehending new subject areas expediently, and evaluating relationships are several abstract examples of what I consider to be intelligence, and all these things come down to having the ability to learn.

We sometimes like to equate speed and quickness of thought with intelligence, but isn't this just recognizing patterns more quickly? Or perhaps finding the language to articulate your thoughts faster?

Will be posting more on this...I am inclined to think that intelligence is shaped by genetics to a certain extent, but also extensively shaped by development throughout your lifetime and interaction by playing, education, environment and will. I think it is possible to train someone to be more intelligent. Whether or not we have good ways of conducting this type of training currently is another issue. I strongly believe in the plasticity of the brain and potential for development of intelligence. I also think that intelligence is inextricably linked to knowledge. But, now that I'm intrigued in the subject, I'm going to do some digging and think about it some more...