Schools have traditionally only recognized mathematical-logical and verbal-linguistic intelligences, and that's a large part of what standardized testing measures, which means that people who don't possess these intelligences may not feel or be identified as smart.
Yeah, I've had trouble with pondering this question too. When I worked in the factory while I was in college, a lot of times I'd say something and one of my coworkers would make some comment about my college education. And I'd be like, "I learned that reading Reader's Digest." It wasn't any special knowledge that my high school drop-out coworkers couldn't have also had, if they'd read the same magazine.
There's street smarts and book smarts. And neither one can get you to pass an intelligence test, which is a whole nother animal. I think we always envy people who have skills or knowledge that we lack. And there are always gaps in our own skills and/or knowledge that make us feel inferior for some reason. It's one of the reasons why I try to remember the multiple intelligences thing that Amy mentioned. You can be good at sports or music or academics or really good at reading people, and each one of those things is a different type of learning/intelligence, and valuable in a different way (and useful in different jobs!).
I found that my initial instinct for not wanting to learn another language (I took Latin not to read it per se, but rather to master entomology, where it has served me well) was for a different reason at heart than just not wanting to emotionally. I intentionally took a b.s. degree in order to not have a language requirement.
It isn't because I'm not a fan of other languages. It is that as a software developer, I need that skill for a different purpose. The ability to "think" in another language is true mastery, and I needed that ability to "think" in code, whatever code it is I happen to be using. When doing a J2EE project (at my last job) I was literally having to think in 12 different languages (no, I'm not kidding nor exaggerating). Mastering coding to that degree required that all of the mental resources required for language learning be dedicated solely to that purpose. The day I can't is the day I get fired, permanently, and replaced by 2 college kids who can
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"I don't honestly think the word has any quantifiable meaning at all."
I don't think it does either. It's almost like something you say when you are impressed with someone else's abilities that appear better than your own. Maybe it's an "us" and "them" kind of thing. I am good at memorization, but lousy at any math beyond basic geometry and algebra (and most types of division, don't make me do decimals or long division, I suck). Am I dumb? To some. Am I smart? To some.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences
Schools have traditionally only recognized mathematical-logical and verbal-linguistic intelligences, and that's a large part of what standardized testing measures, which means that people who don't possess these intelligences may not feel or be identified as smart.
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Thanks Amy.
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There's street smarts and book smarts. And neither one can get you to pass an intelligence test, which is a whole nother animal. I think we always envy people who have skills or knowledge that we lack. And there are always gaps in our own skills and/or knowledge that make us feel inferior for some reason. It's one of the reasons why I try to remember the multiple intelligences thing that Amy mentioned. You can be good at sports or music or academics or really good at reading people, and each one of those things is a different type of learning/intelligence, and valuable in a different way (and useful in different jobs!).
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-thick-of-it-is-boris-johnson-right-when-he-says-that-equality-is-impossible-because-some-peoples-iqs-are-too-low-8971026.html?origin=internalSearch
I love the Infinite Monkey Cage, it really makes science accessible, and the programme on risk caused some interesting discussions about micromorts and drugs in our family.
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It isn't because I'm not a fan of other languages. It is that as a software developer, I need that skill for a different purpose. The ability to "think" in another language is true mastery, and I needed that ability to "think" in code, whatever code it is I happen to be using. When doing a J2EE project (at my last job) I was literally having to think in 12 different languages (no, I'm not kidding nor exaggerating). Mastering coding to that degree required that all of the mental resources required for language learning be dedicated solely to that purpose. The day I can't is the day I get fired, permanently, and replaced by 2 college kids who can ( ... )
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I don't think it does either. It's almost like something you say when you are impressed with someone else's abilities that appear better than your own. Maybe it's an "us" and "them" kind of thing. I am good at memorization, but lousy at any math beyond basic geometry and algebra (and most types of division, don't make me do decimals or long division, I suck). Am I dumb? To some. Am I smart? To some.
Neither is quantifiable.
These things you give us to ponder!
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