txdinghysailor Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I believe that in most people there is no such thing as an "intelligent person" or a "smart person". I think instead that it all depends on luck. How do you find out if a person is smart? You ask them questions that you believe that smart people know. However, luck decides if they know the answer to that question or not. If luck says they know the answer, you think that they're smart. If luck says they don't know, then you think they're not smart. It's all about luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardillacid Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Do you really believe in luck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel's angel Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdinghysailor Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkwright Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 (edited) [quote name='txdinghysailor' post='1795422' date='Mar 2 2009, 06:50 PM']I believe that in most people there is no such thing as an "intelligent person" or a "smart person". I think instead that it all depends on luck. How do you find out if a person is smart? You ask them questions that you believe that smart people know. However, luck decides if they know the answer to that question or not. If luck says they know the answer, you think that they're smart. If luck says they don't know, then you think they're not smart. It's all about luck.[/quote] Not necessarily. Knowledge is what decides if they know the answer to that question or not. If you ask some very specialized question the answer might depend more on luck. But if you ask a very a general question and get a dumb response, I don't think its wrong to conclude they are not smart. I think if you ask a very specialized question and get a good answer and this happens over and over you're dealing with a very smart person. Another example; have you ever sat through a talk\presentation\demonstration and the person next to you seems to understand it much better than you (or they ask you a question and you say what have you been listening to?) You both had the same 'luck' of sitting through the instructions - one person just gets it and the other doesn't. Maybe its harder to prove smart people - but the world is full of dumb people and they're not too hard to find. Edited March 2, 2009 by rkwright Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdinghysailor Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='rkwright' post='1795437' date='Mar 2 2009, 07:56 PM']Not necessarily. Knowledge is what decides if they know the answer to that question or not. If you ask some very specialized question the answer might depend more on luck. But if you ask a very a general question and get a dumb response, I don't think its wrong to conclude they are not smart. I think if you ask a very specialized question and get a good answer and this happens over and over you're dealing with a very smart person. Another example; have you ever sat through a talk\presentation\demonstration and the person next to you seems to understand it much better than you (or they ask you a question and you say what have you been listening to?) You both had the same 'luck' of sitting through the instructions - one person just gets it and the other doesn't. Maybe its harder to prove smart people - but the world is full of dumb people and they're not too hard to find.[/quote] What happens when you ask a specialized person a general question? They may not know the answer, so are they therefore dumb? At a presentation, how do you know that the person next to you who's "getting it" may have read up on the subject beforehand? Whether they did or not is just chance, or luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSLF Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='txdinghysailor' post='1795443' date='Mar 2 2009, 08:00 PM']What happens when you ask a specialized person a general question? They may not know the answer, so are they therefore dumb? At a presentation, how do you know that the person next to you who's "getting it" may have read up on the subject beforehand? Whether they did or not is just chance, or luck...[/quote] Intelligence isn't knowledge. Even if a person is not very intelligent they can memorize information. Intelligence is about the way you think or process information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdinghysailor Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='CSLF' post='1795463' date='Mar 2 2009, 08:23 PM']Intelligence isn't knowledge. Even if a person is not very intelligent they can memorize information. Intelligence is about the way you think or process information.[/quote] But how is that intelligence displayed except by the questions that are asked of people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HisChildForever Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='txdinghysailor' post='1795443' date='Mar 2 2009, 07:00 PM']What happens when you ask a specialized person a general question? They may not know the answer, so are they therefore dumb?[/quote] Just because one does not know the answer to a general question does not make them "dumb." We cannot know everything, that is simply impossible. Besides, the person may have known the answer at one time but recently forgot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdinghysailor Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='HisChildForever' post='1795472' date='Mar 2 2009, 08:34 PM']Just because one does not know the answer to a general question does not make them "dumb." We cannot know everything, that is simply impossible. Besides, the person may have known the answer at one time but recently forgot.[/quote] Exactly, which is why it is all about luck. If they're lucky, they know the answer, or remember it, or happen to know it at that time and place. Or maybe they see something that triggers their memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HisChildForever Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='txdinghysailor' post='1795475' date='Mar 2 2009, 07:36 PM']Exactly, which is why it is all about luck. If they're lucky, they know the answer, or remember it, or happen to know it at that time and place. Or maybe they see something that triggers their memory.[/quote] It has nothing to do with luck, it has to do with knowledge. If you have knowledge of the answer, you have knowledge; if you do not have the answer, you do not have the knowledge (I am talking [i]specific[/i] knowledge here, not knowledge in general). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdinghysailor Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='HisChildForever' post='1795478' date='Mar 2 2009, 08:37 PM']It has nothing to do with luck, it has to do with knowledge. If you have knowledge of the answer, you have knowledge; if you do not have the answer, you do not have the knowledge (I am talking [i]specific[/i] knowledge here, not knowledge in general).[/quote] How do you have that knowledge? How do you remember that knowledge and not some other knowledge? You said we can't know everything in the world, but how can you know the answer to a random question that someone asks you. I say the answer is luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HisChildForever Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='txdinghysailor' post='1795480' date='Mar 2 2009, 07:39 PM']How do you have that knowledge? How do you remember that knowledge and not some other knowledge? You said we can't know everything in the world, but how can you know the answer to a random question that someone asks you. I say the answer is luck.[/quote] Well you absorb knowledge from educational institutions; there is also common sense knowledge and knowledge you gain from life experience. Your reasoning is bizarre. If you do not have the knowledge to answer the question, no amount of "luck" will help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txdinghysailor Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='HisChildForever' post='1795485' date='Mar 2 2009, 08:43 PM']Your reasoning is bizarre. If you do not have the knowledge to answer the question, no amount of "luck" will help you.[/quote] How do you retain that knowledge? I am exposed to so much knowledge every single day, yet I only remember some of it. What decides what I remember and what I forget? What decides what question I'm asked, and if that is something that I randomly remembered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HisChildForever Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 [quote name='txdinghysailor' post='1795488' date='Mar 2 2009, 07:46 PM']How do you retain that knowledge? I am exposed to so much knowledge every single day, yet I only remember some of it. What decides what I remember and what I forget? What decides what question I'm asked, and if that is something that I randomly remembered?[/quote] Your brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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