Are human beings intelligent?

1. 71

   Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years ago

   Are human beings intelligent?
   
   If you consider human beings to be intelligent then please try to quantify your opinion with some  from of explanation.
   
   Or
   
   If you consider human beings to not be intelligent then please try to quantify your opinion with some  from of explanation.
   
   

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2. 0

   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   Of course, Human beings are the most intelligent life form on earth.

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   1. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for helping.

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   2. 72

      manatita44posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well Gareth,
      We tend to go for what makes us comfortable or what we feel ok with, it is not necessarily 'higher' I'm afraid. Remember I also said that we are not necessarily wise. You seem a good man. People will be what they will be. Much peace.

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   3. 61

      Lor's Storiesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      But do we use it ?

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   4. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Mana "People will be what they will be" you might as well say I can't and then you won't be using it but I don't think any less of you than you do of me by saying so.
      
      Lor's "But do we use it ?" somebody must be to keep us dumbed down.
      
      WhoWWWWHow?

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3. 71

   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   Intelligent vs. what? We are more intelligent than most animals. But what could you mean? Are we intelligent? Maybe, it depends what we are being compared to. Just intelligent in general, we would need a measuring scale. How intelligent is very intelligent. Honestly, I believe we are quite intelligent, from time to time. Every breed has their downsides much like with each personality and intelligence.

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   1. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have no measure, I was inspired by this common statement "Human beings are the most intelligent life form on earth."  Much like you I think, thank you for expanding this quandary. I am to believe we are learning organisms even at a cellular level.

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4. 52

   whonunuwhoposted 11 years ago

   Human beings are just as intelligent as they want to make themselves out to be. Actually, we have a long way yet to go, and miles to walk, before we sleep. whonu

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   1. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Whonu.
      "The journey is all we can hope for
      on the trail of eternity,
      with eyes wide open we venture
      and look as far as we see."
      Gareth Pritchard, now.
      Thanks.

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5. 60

   c mark walkerposted 11 years ago

   well,some used to be. Yet now....
   We are destroying our world as fast as we possibly can.
   We elect officials who are plutocratic self serving aristocrats.
   We fear and do not change though we all know it's so very important to do so.
   We are still superstitious in the 21st century.
   We wage war knowing it's not the answer.
   We are not perusing and agrarian existence knowing we will have to one day....soon
   We (me included) are pecking on our keyboards instead of enjoying what little time we have left on this earth..........I wish I was fishing now

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   1. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes
      I think our silence is bought with a few dirty coins
      I live in the decadent west while 3 quarters of the world live in poverty
      I keep my mouth shut saying I can't do anything
      To say I can't means I won't try
      Is that intelligent?
      Many say it is

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6. 72

   manatita44posted 11 years ago

   Yes. Human beings are intelligent. Still, we are not necessarily wise, if that's what you mean. Intelligence is in the realm of the mind and knowledge is in the spiritual heart and based on experience. When combined, as in the minds of Sri Aurobindo and others like him, they can work wonders. Again, they need not combine for knowledge, full knowledge, is in itself higher than the intelligence of the mind.
   
   But yes, intelligence guides our everyday lives in many fields: science, aviation, electronics, medicine and so forth, and makes life infinitely easier than it would otherwise have been without it. God is ultimately the Source of both Intelligence and Knowledge.

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   1. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Intelligent to me is to be able learn and use it to make positive change for all
      I know we are able to learn in fact believe we are not able to stop but our behavior as a whole does not seem to reflect a positive as pointed out by c mark walker.

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   2. 72

      manatita44posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      We agree.

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   3. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes Mana, I think there is common ground in our thinking but the question still remains, plus the hoards of people clamoring to defend human intelligence  is not anywhere near as great as those defending art, which speaks volumes and what I thought.

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7. 61

   Lor's Storiesposted 11 years ago

   We are supposed to be intelligent but so far I don't see too many bright bulbs.
   Watch TV!
   I do think we have the ability to be intelligent but we still don't know how to utilize it.
   Intelligence means many things to many people.
   We don't need a degree from Harvard or Princeton to be intelligent.
   I think intelligence is a mix between creativity, common sense, reasoning and
   Plenty of experience.
   I know of one person who has all these qualities. He saved my life but he gave it a lot of thought before he went into the very upper part of my spine.
   And he is creative as well
   
   But those who do really dumb things... Their intelligence button is on snooze.
   In order to be intelligent you need to weigh the pros and cons,
   I try to do that;

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      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your answer
      Your thinking on intel seems quite sound to me
      It seems like you have had a bit of a time
      Me too
      I think empathy is missing, emotional intel and physical interactive social life, real art, story telling, dumbed down with TV

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   2. 61

      Lor's Storiesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes I did forget empathy. And yes just as I was about to get out of my surgery, he ( my surgeon ) said" We all love you and nothing I won't let anything bad happen. Mind you it took him 6 months to figure out how to make this all work for my good.

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   3. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I was not implying your answer was missing empathy in it's content I am restricted by the lack of characters allowed in these comments to say what I really mean so edit severely.  In case you might be thinking I was saying you left it out I wasnt.

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   4. 61

      Lor's Storiesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      No that's fine.

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      djdaniel150posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed Lord's!

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8. 90

   Theophanesposted 11 years ago

   On an individual level many humans are intelligent (although there are a lot of people who rate up there with a potato too.... takes all kinds, right?) I think where we have the most difficulty is being intelligent on a larger level. As a species we're an idiot. We have done so much to shoot ourselves in the foot it isn't funny. But maybe someday we'll learn.

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   1. 71

      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I find this to be a good description of the situation and contribution, especially since I am now getting around to thinking intelligence on it's own is quite useless to us without empathy, it just manifests it's self most often as me, me, me.

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      c mark walkerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have a friend who quit school at 16. He's considered unintelligent. He can tell you every instance and detail of Daniel Boone's life history. There are all kinds of intelligence.

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      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I quit school at 15, I couldn't learn that stuff it was uninteresting, I couldn't or wouldn't play the game, I felt thick and made to feel it. I went to university later and flew like a shooting star because they wanted me to think. Change C to N.

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9. 60

   taburkettposted 11 years ago

   humans possess the great capacity to be intelligent.
   some are worthless, while others are simply worth less.
   intelligence is like a bowl of jello - the more you inspect it outside of its container, the wilder it gets.

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      Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting concept, that must mean it even drys up or tuns back into a fluid and evaporates, as well as being very slippery which can be witnessed in political double speak, thanks I shall go to sleep pondering this.

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10. 0

    Rayne123posted 11 years ago

    Well these are 2 good quotes from Einstein so it kind of sums up how we are as intelligent humans
    
    Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
    Albert Einstein
    
    It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.
    Albert Einstein
    
    The bible also states.....
    
    
    Genesis 11:6
    And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.
    
    Daniel 12:4
    GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
    
    4 “But you, Daniel, keep these words secret, and seal the book until the end times. Many will travel everywhere, and knowledge will grow.”
    
    Who knows everything in the future but God
    That about sums it up

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       Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       "equally wise, equally foolish" that says a lot to me.

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11. 61

    djdaniel150posted 11 years ago

    I think all humans have the potential to be intelligent, but most aren't and its because they are ignorant to to the world around them. Our intelligence is hardly a static entity, but something that can grow if we exercise our minds the right way. Too bad we live in a world where every belief is considered a fact, where people merely accept everything at face value. This just goes to show how lost the majority of the world truly is. Facts require evidence, and beliefs are not facts, its logical reasoning. What can make us intelligent however is our ability to develop around our innate human abilities to learn. Someone who is actively engaged in learning new things is likely to be far more intelligent than someone who lays on the couch all day preaching nonsense about American Idol.

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    1. 71

       Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for having something to say and taking the time to say it. I can only agree with most of what your saying along with others and their useful input .

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       djdaniel150posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I'm glad you asked this question Gareth, the world needs a serious wake up call. As simple as this question sounds, it is not, as it almost forces us to really reconsider how we live our day to day lives. Thanks for sharing.

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    3. 71

       Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Yes, I am finding it helpful and your right it is not as simple as it first seems if you really think about it, I think (arksys) should ask the question, are we really creative?

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    arksysposted 11 years ago

    humans have the capacity to be intelligent with the right ingredients. the ingredients for one person may not be the same as the ingredients for another person.
    one of the reasons i think humans are intelligent is because we can learn and adapt much faster than other species on earth. we are good at mixing and matching with what we have learnt over the years to keep ourselves going...
    
    Talking about mixing and matching ... i was wondering if humans really are creative or not... I always see new ideas or the main source of "inspiration" to be nature.. and i can give you many examples such as the tip of the wings on the boeing a380 ... or the dust-proof glass (inspired by the lotus leaf)... we are intelligent to look at nature and copy but are we really creative?

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       Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Interesting
       I see myself as creative but am I
       good question
       the problem is you can't come up with something that doesn't exist
       if you do nobody knows what it is
       I get this with pictures they must look like something or people don't recognize them.

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13. 85

    prettynutjob30posted 11 years ago

    I believe we are intelligent to a degree, we tend to let our feelings and emotions make us stupid from time to time. Unlike our animal friends who understand survival and act on impulse and protection.

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    Stalwarposted 11 years ago

    If I say "Yes, human beings are intelligent", will anyone believe me ??
    
    Some may , some may not.
    There does not exist any particular person or device or graph which answers this question accurately.
    Different people have their own different opinions.
    for example : I may say that I am intelligent but a person who thinks he is more intelligent than me may have a completely opposite opinion.
    
    If I have to answer this question , I would say yes. After all there must be some reason behind attaching a brain to the human body. Moreover there must be some mechanism going on in this brain since it is a part of human body and this is what makes a person intelligent.
    
    Till a person continues to be unique and follows his own ideas, he can be considered as intelligent.
    
    So, dear readers, if you think I am somewhere right or any of my arguments seems logical to you, do think once that whether you are intelligent are not.
    Because if you think you are intelligent, it proves that there exists some self confidence in you.

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    Kevin Peterposted 11 years ago

    Though your question seems to be very simple, it is of great importance and to be thought deeply. The true fact is that we human beings itself say that we are intelligent. What is the real definition of intelligence. What ever it may be, it was defined by us humanbeings.
    Now humanbeings think that they are capable enough to control the entire universe and hence they are the most intelligent of all living beings. According to me,it is this intelligence that created all the destruction to this universe. Can't our intelligence be made use to do something good to this mother earth? Something good that would help the future generation to live in peace over here. There's where actually lies the real intelligence.

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    1. 71

       Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Yes very good points and we are so intelligent it has taken 2 weeks for somebody to state what is obvious. What is intelligence, what do we compare it with or too and how do we measure it, plus how come we destroy so much including each other?

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16. 69

    Freeway Flyerposted 11 years ago

    I'm sorry, I don't understand the question.

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    Bhawna Dixitposted 11 years ago

    Intelligence is a difficult word to define. It can have several different explanations. Many people think person who get good grades is intelligent. But in my view person who can deal life and it’s problems in harmonious way while  keeping  control on his or her mind is very intelligent. People like this state of mind are difficult o find though. Human have great analytical capacities and organizational abilities. But these abilities are not used in right direction. We are so determined to destroy our own species. Wars among countries is its good example. We are creating ecological imbalance on our planet by our own activities. Although some  individuals work or live day to day life in good ways. But these few people cannot be hold responsible to whole species. Thus in my view all human beings are not that intelligent as they claim to be. Intelligent species don’t destroy themselves.

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       Gareth Pritchardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for a good answer especially "Intelligent species don’t destroy themselves." I am optimistic the times are changing for the better because people are becoming more informed about their leaders and "all great men are almost always bad men".

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