Re: Quick Question
Posted: 2012-06-25 02:11pm
Since intelligence refers to a basic human property, as well as a basic human skill, i really fail to see why this concept should not have been around since (evolutionary-)modern forms of humans existed.
If you can recognize that someone is clumsy, you can recognize that someone is agile. You may only have a word for one and denote the other "not-clumsy", but you still have a concept of it.
The same goes for dumb and smart, and those two require a concept of intelligence - a measure of ones ability to grasp concepts, memorize things, make correct decisions and craft plans. All of those are vital skills for humans (as well as many less intelligent animals), so again i fail to see how humans could not have a concept of such things.
Lusankya demonstrated that quite well - the Tiwi assign words to ones ability to use ones brain.. Since thats what intelligence is, they obviously have a concept of intelligence.
If you can recognize that someone is clumsy, you can recognize that someone is agile. You may only have a word for one and denote the other "not-clumsy", but you still have a concept of it.
The same goes for dumb and smart, and those two require a concept of intelligence - a measure of ones ability to grasp concepts, memorize things, make correct decisions and craft plans. All of those are vital skills for humans (as well as many less intelligent animals), so again i fail to see how humans could not have a concept of such things.
Lusankya demonstrated that quite well - the Tiwi assign words to ones ability to use ones brain.. Since thats what intelligence is, they obviously have a concept of intelligence.