The nature of human intelligence is one of the most intriguing and perplexing questions facing our species. I won’t attempt to answer the question of what, exactly, intelligence is - I could spend volumes making the attempt! For the sake of argument I’ll stick with a very simple, and probably incomplete definition; intelligence is an individual’s capacity to receive and process information in useful ways. With this in mind, the question I would rather consider is this: “What makes one person more intelligent than another?” Science offers tantalizing evidence for the roles that genetics and personal experience play in shaping a person’s intellectual aptitude. Without diminishing the importance of these arguments, I would like to take the conversation in a different direction and suggest that intelligence is largely determined by a person’s willingness to forsake assumptions.
Assumption is the foundation of human thought and action. It is the skeleton upon which we drape our ideas and behaviors. Like any skeleton, it provides us with necessary structure but also limits our flexibility. To assume is to arrive at a conclusion based on partial or incomplete data. Sometimes, we make assumptions because we lack access to all of the necessary information; often, our assumptions result from a willful desire to see things a certain way. In either scenario we deliberately abandon any further pursuit of knowledge or truth on a particular subject; we assume we know the answer - further study is deemed unnecessary.
Consider mankind’s view of the universe hundreds of years ago; many in the western world believed that the Earth was at the center of all creation. This idea was considered sacred - to speak otherwise was heresy. Complex formulas and models were created to explain the movement of the planets and the heavens under this assumption, models which appeared valid upon observation. Nevertheless, we know today that these models were wrong. Until astronomers such as Copernicus and Galileo came forth to challenge the assumption of Earth-centricity, mankind’s ability to progress in its understanding of space and physics was severely handicapped.
Such historical examples, which often stem from the conflict between science and religion, can lead one to believe (even assume) that the act of assumption is the greatest sin committed by an intelligent mind. Yet, while limiting, assumption is a necessary aspect of human life. There is simply too much information, too many variables to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the universe. Life itself frequently requires us to make decisions based on incomplete information; to forgo assumption altogether would render us completely inert - unable to act in any capacity.
When you really think about it, all accepted truth is largely based on assumptions of one sort or another. It is impossible to completely verify any of the ideas or principles we cling to as truths. Even the sights and sounds we experience are nothing more than electrical impulses interpreted by our brains (anyone who’s seen The Matrix is familiar with this concept). Ultimately, I would suggest that the only truth a person can claim to know absolutely is the reality of his/her own existence - that in some form another, he/she exists as a conscious entity. Or, to quote the famous philosopher Descartes, “I think, therefore I am.”
Our assumptions constitute acts of religious faith; to accept something as given is to regard it as sacred. To assert that something is sacred is to declare that it is beyond either question or reproach; therefore, it cannot and should not be challenged. It is important to recognize that all human beings are essentially religious creatures. One need not belong to an organized faith to express religious conviction. The importance of human life is a value widely accepted by believer and non-believer alike. When asked to defend this assumption, many will chafe at the question and dismiss its progenitor; often, a strong emotional response is triggered by such a challenge. I can only urge caution when questioning the basic assumptions held by another - you never know what will happen! I confess that it is much easier for me issue such challenges through the electronic medium of the internet.
This leads us to the conflict between intelligence and assumption; while it may be impossible to know a thing with certainty, it seems clear that careful effort or study can help us arrive at a closer approximation of what the truth probably is. Thus a flexible mind, a mind willing to abandon previous assumptions in light of new information, can obtain a clearer perception of truth and rise to higher levels of intelligence than another which is less flexible.
In light of this principle one may assume that the ideal course is to abandon all assumption - take nothing for granted. Nevertheless, this course of action would be highly imprudent; such flexibility could cause one’s perception of reality to become fluid to point of madness. Even if such a paradigm could be adopted without the unfortunate side-effect of insanity, it would still ultimately prove to be self defeating; a person who questions everything in the pursuit of knowledge must eventually question the validity of the very motives and values which compelled him/her to pursue knowledge in the first place!
Ultimately, each of us must decide what assumptions we are willing to make, and hence the knowledge to which we will or will not have access. Such decisions, while limiting in some respects, help to provide definition and clarity to our lives. Each of us must find that balance between flexibility and belief that yields the greatest level of personal satisfaction and peace-of-mind. The willful decision to accept such limitations, and thus restrain our own intelligence, can constitute an act of wisdom when handled with prudence and care. Perhaps it is this wisdom, and not the pursuit of limitless knowledge, that should be the ultimate goal of all conscious, intelligent beings.
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April 29th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
This is a very Intriguing article on many different levels.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:56 am
Interesting article. I’m not sure I completely agree with your the words and phrasing you use. Most importantly the thesis: intelligence is questioning/forsaking assumptions. There are better ways to state this, but I get the jist. Getting picky at semantics is often not worth the time and effort involved.
I’m of the idea that extremes and overindulgance in pretty much anything can be unhealthy. You provide a good case for finding a good balance in one’s own quest for knowledge.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:37 am
In engineering they teach us that in solving a problem one of the first things you must do is state your assumptions. This then provides a context wherein your solution will be valid and essentially provides a declaration of the limitations/validity of your final solution. When I was working on my Masters Thesis which deals whith highly theoretical materials science (quantum mechanics and solid state physics), it was knowledge of the assumptions and a discussion of their strengths/weaknesses that allowed us to validate our theories and suggest areas for further study. What would it be like if people got in the habit of stating their assumptions in other settings. Reminds me also of one of the first rules of debate; define the terms you are using.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I very much agree. I’ve often thought about the restrictions of religious thought and how one is not allowed to question it, “if god gave me a brain, wouldn’t he want me to use it to ask questions?”. I enjoyed your piece as it is a well written expansion on this thought.
To add a thought to the part at the end of your piece about wisdom being achieved by deciding what assumptions we are willing to make. The knowledge we then lack access to can be supplimented by decisions on who to trust as advisors on that knowledge, thus showing a humility that one simply can’t “know it all”. I think this is another sign of wisdom.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:29 am
[...] It would seem that we live in a modest universe – one which is unwilling to lay bare all of her secrets. Perhaps there is an element of design to these obstacles of understanding, limiting our progression and preventing us from tinkering with the DNA of creation itself. In the presence of these seemingly impenetrable barriers it seems clear that we can never be certain of what we think is certain. Regardless of how much we learn or discover it seems that we, like Socrates, are forever compelled acknowledge our ignorance. [...]
May 1st, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Science vs. religion is where one is the unending pursuit of knowledge while the other is the end of the pursuit of knowledge (It has been pre-ordained, so sayeth the flock). Intelligence is the ability to tell the difference (open mind vs. closed, so to speak).
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
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May 9th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
[...] Here’s an interesting follow up to an article I recently posted on the nature of the human intelligence. [...]
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[...] The Nature of Human Intelligence [...]