[VadeRetro]

intelligence is intelligence

I'm sure your classmates were impressed. Intelligence is one of those wonderful things that's hard to define without going circular.

Q: What is intelligence?

Psychologist: It's what my test measures.

Q: So what does your test measure?

Psychologist: Intelligence.

[AntiGuv]

Actually, they were. LOL It jolted the discussion quite effectively away from the subjective, semantic nonsense to an objective consideration of intelligence. I was quite pleased, in particular, that the remainder of the class hour shifted from discussing how these other traits were a dimension of intelligence to debating (a) what in fact are the qualities of intelligence, per se; and (b) why is there a need to characterize other traits as "intelligence"..

[AntiGuv]

PS. And rest assured we had numerous other theories of intelligence to ponder and consider since intelligence was a major sub-section of the course. We were hardly restricted to the false dilemma of either (a) Gardner's "multiple intelligences" theory; or (b) circular reasoning.

[AntiGuv]

One more thing, I would not have any problem with an inquiry regarding how other personality traits mediate the expression of intelligence. I have a problem with the concept that other personality traits are intelligence in and of themselves. It is nothing but a semantics game in my view that (a) obfuscates the components of intelligence of its own accord; and (b) implicitly devalues these other talents apart from intelligence.