I distinctly remember a time when I worked for the sewage department, when someone I worked with called me stupid. This was a response to me asking a question about what some tool was used for. Now, I'm not a handy man. I think the first time I used a screw driver, I was like 17 or 18 years old. So for me, asking a question about what tool to use in a certain situation was a standard question. I lacked the knowledge that I needed to complete the task at hand. However, there are certainly tasks that I can do that I'm sure my coworker could not (for example, I'm not 100% sure this guy knew how to read). What bothered me, was that my lack of knowledge resulted in being accused of possessing a lack of intellect. I think that the distinction between these two topics is one that is often confusing, but highly important.
One of my favorite quotes of all time goes, "Every person is a genius, but if a fish spends its whole life trying to climb a tree, it's going to think that it's an idiot". I'm pretty sure that's an Einstein quote. Regardless of who said it, I think it's good because of its truth. Everyone is good at something. Everybody has their own abilities. I like to compare my sister Rebecca and I. We are both probably equally intelligent (it really pains me to admit it, and I'm sure, as soon as she reads this, she will never let me forget that I said it). However, I am a stronger math student, and she is a stronger reader/writer. Not that she was bad at math, it just always came more naturally for me. Calculations that took me 45 seconds would take her 2 minutes, that sort of thing. Meanwhile, if it was not for her, some of my papers for school would not have received the grades that they did. I would send her the paper, she would edit it (pretty significantly I might add), and send it back to me. My point of all this, is to acknowledge that while our levels of intelligence are comparable, our areas of knowledge are quite different.
I've always thought of knowledge as actually 'knowing' something (hence the name, real clever, I know). However, possessing knowledge does not make you intelligent. The level of intelligence is inherent in each individual. If you ever watch the show Jeopardy, you can see a perfect example of this comparison. There are so many people who come on that show that I can tell are really not that bright. However, every single contestant on that show possesses way more knowledge than I ever will. Intelligence can be faked with a surplus of knowledge, but it cannot be duplicated, or created.
I think intelligence encompasses more than just one's ability to learn, understand, and explain. I'm sure Andy Murray is not the most brilliant scientist in the world, but his ability on the tennis courts is an area of intelligence that went unparalleled this weekend. I think of knowledge as the gaining and comprehending of facts. Intelligence is different. I think intelligence is a combination of brilliance, intellectual capability, and passion. Knowledge certainly plays a factor, but the two are not synonymous.
Another great quote: "Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider". Wise, wise words spoken by 8 year old kids across the country. I do think there is a truth to it. In college, for the most part, I feel like we have gained knowledge. Even deeper than that, I feel that I have gained an ability to think individually and critically. However, I do not believe that I have become more intelligent. I don't think you can accomplish that. I believe everybody possesses some amount of intelligence, and their job throughout their youth is to figure out how much they possess, and where they can apply it.
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