On Intelligence...
Deconstructing smart
"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know."
Ernest Hemmingway
Intro
Intelligence can be measured and defined in various ways and as such is a really difficult thing to quantify. Anyone can have a high IQ but it’s the relevance or the context which makes its value *so* significant.
What is Intelligence?
Well thats a great question. I really don’t feel like I am smart enough to even get close to answering this, but I’ll take a shot…
The word intelligence comes from the Latin word inteligere and means ‘to understand’.
Charles Darwin said “Intelligence is based on how efficient a species became at doing the things they need to survive“
Albert Einstein said "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."
OK enough with the bullshit, intelligence is being smart at the right time and in the right context. It’s not just being academically impressive.
Human beings are complicated, but also quite basic. No one cares if you can explain quantum physics or do a fucking Rubik’s Cube. The real smarts are a bunch of other remarkable, passive ‘features’ that you didn’t know you even had.
Welcome to the ‘types’ of intelligence…
Types of Intelligence
There are around 10 ‘types’ of intelligence:
Naturalistic (nature smart)
Musical (sound smart)
Logical-Mathematical (number/reasoning smart)
Existential (life smart)
Interpersonal (people smart)
Bodily-Kinesthetic (body smart)
Linguistic (word smart)
Intrapersonal (self smart)
Spatial (picture smart)
Emotional (social smart)
IQ
The most common measurement of smart is the Intelligence quotient. Most average humans are between 85 and 115. An IQ score of 130 or higher indicates high intelligence, placing individuals in the top 2 percent of the population. Einstein was 160.
IQ is thought to be shaped by both genetic and environmental factors. While genetics contribute to determining an individual's intellectual potential, environmental influences like education, nutrition, and socio-economic status also have an impact.
The issue with IQ is the same as any ‘intelligence test’ that attempts to score a human being. It’s really difficult to test the non-academic types of intelligence, so a scoring might be lower for some people, which can lead to low self esteem and exclusion from many academic opportunities. Also it’s heavily weighted towards children from higher socio-economic backgrounds, who often have tutors and a much better schooling. Some kids are better at exams, some kids are better at revision, some kids have better attention spans. It’s why the 11 plus test is so bogus.
EQ
Emotional Intelligence is perhaps my least favourite and IMO the most bastardised subtype of intelligence. It’s a trendy prerequisite for a match on dating apps. Also the word ‘Sapiosexual’ has arrived to become the ‘Holibobs’ of horrific words, a Shibboleth for the ‘Borderline Personality Female™’ looking for THAT guy.
Avoid anyone who uses it in their list of requirements. Everyone is attracted to smart, it ain’t just you, Karen (51) from Croydon.
Ashkenazi Jews
Albert Einstein, whose very name is a shorthand for genius, is possibly the most notorious example of exceptional human intelligence. The poster boy for super smart.
He was also an Ashkenazi Jew. Ashkenazi Who?
Ashkenazi is a small ancestral group of Jewish people. Their name comes from Ashkenaz, one of the descendants of Noah, in the Hebrew Bible, which is the basis of the Hebrew word for ‘Germany’.
If you wanted to find the smartest group of people on the planet, then statistically speaking, this tiny diaspora would be it, by a country mile.
Ashkenazi Jews have the highest average IQ of any ethnic group for which there are reliable data. They score 0.75 to 1.0 standard deviations above the general European average, corresponding to an IQ 112-115.
According to this study from MIT, during the 20th century, they made up about 3% of the US population but won 27% of the US Nobel science prizes and 25% of the ACM Turing awards. They also account for more than half of the worlds chess champions.
The argument around whether a race has a higher level of intelligence is nature or nurture leads most people into the profoundly disturbing world of Eugenics, so I’ll leave it there. Plenty to Google if you want more on this, but tread carefully…
Artificial Intelligence
Eurgh. AI was once a niche sci-fi concept, a demolisher of competitive chess players (although this was more engineering than AI, but I digress…)
According to Mckinsey, AI is a machine’s ability to perform the cognitive functions we associate with human minds, such as perceiving, reasoning, learning, interacting with an environment, problem solving, and even exercising creativity.
Here an ELI5 of how simple AI works:
Create a large data set.
Create an algorithm.
Run the algorithm on the data set
This is called ‘Narrow Intelligence’, it’s pretty limited and its how chatbots and virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa work.
The next stage adds the ability for the computer to run a more intuitive algorithm, and then learn from the results. This allows it to think abstractly, adapt and solve problems the way human beings do. This is called ‘General Intelligence’ (AGI) and it’s where we are now. It’s arguably as intelligent than humans and it's used everywhere. It’s powering ChatGPT and other AI programs that are so prevalent in todays tech media.
The really critical point is the concept of ‘Superintelligence’. This is where the machines can solve incredibly complex problems and create new technology, far beyond the limitations of human understanding. The issue here is that while the intelligence is powerful, it lacks any of the other ‘types’ of human intelligence, and in the absence of ethical rationality and human behavioural traits such as integrity and empathy, is a credible threat to humanity.
In 2023, OpenAI leaders published recommendations for the governance of superintelligence, which they believe may happen in less than 10 years. If we as a species don’t get a handle on this potential technological armageddon, it wont be climate change that wipes us out.
Hopefully the machines will destroy LinkedIn before they are shut down.
Cetacean Intelligence
Arguably the most intelligent animals, are marine mammals. And the most regarded intelligent marine mammal is the humble Dolphin.
Dolphins are often considered the epitome of cetacean intelligence due to their outstanding cognitive abilities and complex behaviours. Dolphins have advanced communication skills, problem-solving abilities, adaptability to new situations, and capacity for cooperation. Their complex social structures and cultural transmission of knowledge challenge the traditional (human-centric) view of intelligence.
They also know how to get party. Yup. Snoop Dolphin get stoned on Pufferfish.
Pufferfish generally mind their business, but when when attacked, release a neurotoxin which is highly poisonous to humans. However, for dolphins, it's much more like a narcotic high. Dolphins will bite Pufferfish and get high on the defensive discharge.
Now that is smart.
Dunning-Kruger effect
The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias that refers to the tendency of some individuals to overestimate their abilities or knowledge in a particular area while simultaneously underestimating the knowledge or expertise of others.
"The problem in this world is that intelligent people are full of doubt while incompetents are full of confidence"
- Charles Bukowski
Put simply, it’s why ‘Dave on Facebook’ is now a self-appointed expert on vaccines. It’s also why the *actual* vaccine expert ain’t on Facebook. It’s why stupid people are so fucking prevalent in conspiracy theories, particularly on social media.
Most people have no way to rate themselves as smart or informed. There is no real informal rating of expertise for regular folk, and no measure of comparison to the global average. This is why we have professional qualifications, along with formal accreditation of actual experts. Thats why we listen to doctors and scientists, thats why experts have letters after their names. So the rest of us tend to overrate ourselves, and at the intersection of stupid and confidence is Dave on Facebook. And there are 200 million others like him. It’s how Donald Trump became the president of the most powerful country on the planet. It’s also why there’s been a worrying decline in diphtheria, polio and measles jabs.
The issue with so many stupid people reading misinformation as truth, is this sometimes leads experts to underestimate their expertise due to the assumption that others possess similar levels of knowledge.
‘Dave from Facebook’ is making the world less intelligent. ‘David from Bookface (PhD)’ is too intelligent to make the world smarter. There’s not enough alcohol in the world to stabilise the anxiety caused by this irony.
Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is huge amongst intelligent peeps who, driven by their pursuit of excellence and aware of their capabilities, often set stupidly high standards for themselves, as they perceive their achievements as somehow falling short of expectations, they can also engage in comparative analysis with accomplished peers, attribute their successes externally, fear failure due to a history of success, overestimate others' ease in tasks, and continually seek external validation to counter internal doubts about their intelligence.
Other downsides to being intelligent
Smart people find it harder to find like-minded people and often feel disconnected from others. They can have perfectionistic tendencies and set unrealistically high standards for themselves and others. They can become bored, unengaged, or frustrated much faster.
Intelligence can also lead to increased sensitivity and heightened emotions
Intelligent people may find themselves constantly processing information, leading to cognitive overload, making it harder to relax and unwind.
Intelligent people are more prone to excessive worry, anxiety, stress, depression, ADHD, insomnia, overthinking, loneliness and indecision.
Intelligent people are more likely to abuse drugs. After gender, intelligence is statistically the second-greatest predictor of alcohol consumption.
Correlation does not always mean causation, but it’s pretty clear what the links are here.
Extraterrestrial intelligence
It’s pretty daft to conceive that we are alone in the universe, and that we are the only sapient beings across these 93 billion light-years of space. ET showed us exactly why intelligent species from other worlds aren’t coming here to say hi. ET got kidnapped by some kids, dressed up as an old lady, then became seriously anaemic, was taken on an impromptu BMX ride over the neighbourhood, hunted and almost shot at.
The truth is, as a species, we are simply not intelligent enough to even meet other forms of life. Imagine intelligent beings landing on this planet:
ET: “We are the Dorian 309CHX. Take us to your leader”
Dave: “Well there isn’t strictly ‘one’ leader as such. You see, Earth consists of a bunch of countries that have nuclear weapons and fucking hate each other. Only the flimsy principle of deterrence known as ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ stops us from using them”
ET: “Are you Dave from planet Facebook? Fucking hell, ok who is stupid enough to think he runs the planet, we’ll probably take him and torture him (anally) anyway”
Dave: “We have just the man. His name is Elon Musk, he’s a total roaster, he makes rockets and cars and wants to go to Mars”
ET: “LOL. Mars. Why does every species want to see Mars? I would recommend a deep exploration of Uranus”
Dave: (sniggers)
ET: “Oh grow up”
Dave: “While you are here, could you fix climate change?, we have totally screwed up this planet.”
ET: “We sent you David Attenborough? WTF?
Dave: “We are really fucked, aren’t we?”
ET: “We gave you the internet, what did you do with it?”
Dave: “Cat videos, viral challenges and porn”
ET: “Ok i’m phoning home”
OK lets wrap this up
Intelligence is a paradox, it’s tricky to quantify, and almost always causes problems. Smart people always suffer from the pain of idiocy. And Dolphins get fucked up.
It’s tough being smart, life is in many ways more complicated, the pressure and expectation is higher, and Dave from Facebook is always going to drive you to drink & drugs.
Thanks for reading!
PS. If you like this sort of stuff, you can read my writings on design and technology over on Medium, or follow me on Instagram