Quote (kegman909650 @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 08:31pm)

I see intelligence in two categories:
Work ethic and aptitude

Work ethic means you study every night, do your homework, learn extra material, etc.
Aptitude means you are just naturally good at it. You can copy your homework and not study and still ace the test.

Aptitude is what is inherited from your parents.
But your work ethic, which is really what makes you successful in life, is what makes you appear smart and helps you get better grades. You develop this on your own.

Like the pretty true stereotypes of Asians:
Their genetics make them smart
and their culture makes them have incredible work ethic
So they study hard and are already naturally gifted.

Quote (Kr1m @ Fri, Dec 12 2008, 01:58am)

Some of the stupidest people I know have a (very) good work ethic. That in no way measures an individuals intelligence. In my experience at least, it measures how hard a parent is on that kid. That is a factor determined by external conditions, not by the individual.

Quote (BovineDesi @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 07:10pm)

Ah yea agreed...lots of not so smart people have an excellent, almost OCD work ethic and ace the tests. But I also do acknowledge that work ethic is far more important for success than is natural aptitude.

Quote (chiefwiggum654 @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 10:16pm)

Yeah I was thinking about that, and how much it sucks for me.
I've got natural abilities in most aspects of my life, but I'm way too lazy and unmotivated to do anything.
It's like, I'm good at most things I try naturally, but I'm great at absolutely nothing because I can never push myself to pursue any interests.
Community college here I come!

Quote (chiefwiggum654 @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 10:16pm)

Yeah I was thinking about that, and how much it sucks for me.
I've got natural abilities in most aspects of my life, but I'm way too lazy and unmotivated to do anything.
It's like, I'm good at most things I try naturally, but I'm great at absolutely nothing because I can never push myself to pursue any interests.
Community college here I come!

Quote (kegman909650 @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 10:44pm)

No way, same here. Only I always seem to push through at the last second. I believe that's called procrastination?

Quote (Abstraction @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 11:24pm)

in the real world, being intelligent is determined primarily by how much work you put into something, and not your innate mental ability. anyone can grasp the same concepts with practice. There will always be people who are just naturally brilliant, but i say you shouldn't compare yourself to them because you simply aren't born equal.  Simply putting in the work will get you ahead of 90% of the people. Although I will admit nurture and your early life have a huge impact.


there's a youtube video of some guy with an IQ of 190, and yet, he lives his life as a club bouncer. Would you consider him intelligent?

Quote (kegman909650 @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 08:25pm)

Well, there's a difference between intelligence and success.

Quote (Abstraction @ Thu, Dec 11 2008, 11:28pm)

If I gave you a billion dollars, would you be AS concerned about comparing your intellect to others?