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Benjamin Heke

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What is your definition of an intelligent person

If you are willing to debate about education systems and so on then you are willing to explain what you think a smart person is. Is your definition of a smart person someone who is street smart, Logically smart or someone who can read a 200 page book in a few hours?

please I would love to hear everyone's ideas
(I want to know what the social standard is for intelligence or at least the individual standards of people)

Topics: human psychology society
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  • David Grant

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    Nov 13 2011: Hi Benjamin.
    I define an intelligent person as one who can understand that someone else might believe they are wrong.
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    Christophe Doré

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    Nov 8 2011: I'm not sure I can define, but I feel I know a few characteristics:
    - awareness of knowing few - aware of what still can be learned
    - constantly doubting and questioning (nothing taken for granted)

    - good intuition to identify solution (often require some culture/knowledge to feed intuition)
    - rigorous in designing a solution
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    Scott Armstrong 50+

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    Nov 7 2011: Someone able to learn from mistakes.

    Check Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences for more detailed definitions of intelligence. Still probably leaves a few gaps..

  • gale kooser 20+

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    Nov 7 2011: In my opinion: A person doesn't have to have a college eduction to be intelligent and some that I have met don't even have a high school education. What they do have is common sense, look at things logically, able to see others opinions & maybe even learn from them, and are aware of changes in fields/areas that attract them. A fast reader may or may not comprehend what was written in that 200 page book, while a street smart person may be very intelligent about the 'streets' or even tracking through the woods.
    There are just too many variables to put this into a nice neat package.
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    Pradee Happy

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    Nov 7 2011: wen my first response to a person is "WOW" - its an indicator that he is intelligent in my view.. :D
    so i feel intelligent person is a one who has WOW / amazing factor in them, where what amazes us depends on what we value the most =)
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