Skip to main content

Intelligence vs. Education

Photo by: Tim Bindner

Someone recently asked me to tackle the subject of intelligence vs. education and if they are the same thing or dependent upon each other.  Specifically, if you are educated, does that mean you are intelligent and vice versa?

Technically, I feel intelligence is the ability to think critically, reason and analyze data and make informed judgements based upon data. Education can develop intelligence by fostering the growth of these skills, but intelligence is not dependent upon having taken part in an educational system. Education is a process that develops skills, not one that shows a level of intelligence.

This is solely based on my opinion and subjective.  To break it down in simpler terms, I feel intelligence is the ability to think and reason, education is purely just knowledge.  I see it like this.  A computer is educated with knowledge, facts and data, and a human brain can take many of those same facts, data and knowledge and analyze them into a rational solution based on not only that data, but experiences, emotions and feelings.  Something a computer cannot do.

Many people I know have Bachelor’s Degrees, Masters Degrees and even a few haves PhD’s.  Does this make them intelligent?  No.  It makes them educated or in the simplest times they have or had that ability to consume data and facts and regurgitate them on exams/papers/tests to show they comprehended the information.  Comprehended is very questionable.

As some have already inferred I don’t support standard education and that is incorrect.  I support education but also feel so much is lacking in the schools today.  My son who is a senior in high school cannot balance a checkbook, cook his own food or do laundry.  Part of that is my failure as a father, but much of that use to be taught in school.  In a continuation of my previous post on a culture of non-thinkers, I think both the education system and society are turning people into educated idiots.  Our workplaces only want degrees, we have people that cannot figure their way out of a paper bag, but can perform huge mathematical equations. My favorite are those that I try to have intelligent conversations with that I can tell lack the ability of not only reasoning but control of their emotions and get “offended” by what I say.  A copout because of a lack of intelligent skills.  It is not just with me, but throughout society.  ‘I don’t understand so I become offended.’

So am I smarter than everyone?  No.  I am smarter than the average human and also dumber than the average human, but I know how to think, reason, and will never apologize for having that ability/skill even if it offends others.

Until next time,

Tim

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mentor

  When my photography journey rekindled back in 2015 with a trip to Maine, I never knew how far I would come and how important pushing a button on a camera would be. I have come a long way, but still have so much more to learn. A mentor is described as an experienced and trusted adviser (noun) . Also, as someone who will advise or train (someone, especially a younger  colleague ) (verb). Wikipedia also states mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.  Since I have gotten more serious about my photography, I have been looking for a mentor that fits these categories listed above. Seeking guidance, I reached out to a handful of “professional” photographers to inquire about mentorship. I received no response from one person, another person casually mentioned that they rarely mentor, and a third person kindly explained that they ...

Nobody's Listening

  I recently had conversations with two people I know that had experienced a sudden rash of acute anxiety. One was medication related, the other was situational. Both stated that they now had a better understanding of what I have been dealing with. With the recent changes to my medication, Although I still feel anxiety, it no longer takes control of my emotions like it did in the past. However, I know acutely that it still lurks on the fringes, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce on me. During my recent visit to Dr. Erin, she assigned me an exercise where I had to jot down three things each day that I felt I excelled at. This is proving to be difficult for me. The parameters are straightforward and easy to understand. “Anything I do well that day,” she said. As I continued with this exercise, I began thinking of a song by Linkin Par called Nobody’s Listening. I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress Handful of anger held in my chest And everything left’s a wast...

Tested

  Life is a series of tests, pushing us to our limits and forcing us to grow. All blessings originate from a God, yet they manifest through different circumstances, encounters, and individuals. Throughout the past six weeks, I have encountered a myriad of these tests. This is part of the reason I have not written in a while - the constant distractions that have consumed my time and focus. Balancing my mental state and warding off anxiety has consumed my attention, leaving no room to articulate my thoughts through writing. My journey began recently when, with the advice of a medical professional, I began taking Trintellix at its lowest dose of 5mg per day. Gradually I increased to 10mg a day and now am at 20mg a day. During this time, my anxiety has lessened quite a bit, but recent events have put this medication to the test. Our initial challenge was to carefully research vans, searching for ones that would be ideal for safely transporting our furry companions. The cramped spac...