This brings to mine something I have sometimes pondered. Do people who are not as intelligent as the rest of us know that they are less intelligent or do they think they are average? the Dunning-Krueger Effect
I'd bet there are a lot of people who are under educated, aren't well read, have average to low intelligence, and think they are smarter than most everyone else. We see a lot of this on the news these days.
“He who knows and knows that he knows is a wise man-follow him. He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool-shun him”. Confucius. (A later addition: “He who knows not and knows that he knows not is ignorant-teach him. ) The greatest intelligence a man can display is when he realizes that he knows absolutely nothing. (stolen and paraphrased from Einstein)
Hugh, I got to the word string "...so I just listen." If you are a "just listener," you are likely more informed the the ones who talk most.
LOL. Whilst that statement is indeed true, there is some irony in it. I’m reminded of a professor I had who often said it was much better to be a listener. The same professor who only allowed 3-5 minutes of questions at the end of his very lengthy lectures but otherwise demanded total silence during those lectures. To be sure, he was the brunt of many a wagging tongue for there was no time when he wasn’t seen talking. He could bend an ear so far back that the students were afraid their ears would not return to normal.
I've heard that there's a reason as to why we have two ears and only one mouth. I've also heard it said that one can't receive when they're transmitting. Both seem understandable to me and I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
I always liked to read till I had a stroke lost partial vision. So I think I think maybe my interest in history and non fiction helped me. One book I read ' George Washinington' which for such a HUGE book, 800 pages was a real page turner. And full of history of the era. Also ancient history always interested me.
I've wondered from time to time if intelligence would be better measured through the lens of how we use it. Are we improving life for ourselves AND others? Are we helping relieve suffering, and reducing obstacles to happiness? Are we putting more positivity and kindness into the world? Seems to me these measures would be more useful that whether we can do calculus and trig or whether some test declares an IQ 180 or whatever (average being 100).
@D'Ellyn Dottir your post brought to mind Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother in the books. He was said (by Sherlock) to be the far more intelligent of the two, but he worked for the government and was too lazy to do anything with his intelligence. Your view brings light to this thread.
General things to some are not to others. General knowledge among seafaring fishermen is different from general knowledge among farmers. A city-born and raised person will have less general knowledge about the county, than the country born and raised and the country born and raised will have less general knowledge about the city. Intelligence is impossible to rate or score. IQ tests are far from revealing true IQ. The ability to visualize and create amazing new things differs from those that have photographic memories of things they have studied. While both might be considered a genius, the inventor's intelligence far exceeds that of the mental photographer. Knowledge and intelligence are different things so I can't answer the question. I can say I am very knowledgeable about a wide scope of general knowledge topics, both from life experience and my ability to think and invent.
Hmmm, @Don Alaska , not sure if you're calling me lazy or far more intelligent than Sherlock. I always wonder if those who call government workers lazy have ever actually worked for a government. I know I was far more under-utilized when I worked for my father than when I worked for civil serve. Altho I will admit when I worked for a university I did perfect the act of looking busy and doing nothing.