What is intelligence?

The Controversy Surrounding the Definition of Intelligence

In psychology, one of the great controversies that has sparked intense debate is the "intelligence war," which questions whether we possess an innate general mental ability.

Experts, courts, and scientists have long argued about the use and fairness of tests that assess people's mental abilities.

The question arises whether the assessment of intelligence is a constructive way of guiding people or whether it is a discriminatory weapon disguised as science.

Although in many studies intelligence has been defined simply as what intelligence tests measure, this view has often been limited to "school skills."

However, intelligence is not a quality like height or weight, which has the same meaning for all people around the world.

Different cultures assign the term "intelligence" to qualities that enable success within their own time and specific cultural context.

The Ability to Learn from Experience

Intelligence is generally defined as the ability to learn from experience, a capacity that allows us to modify our behavior and knowledge.

Learning from experience involves not only the acquisition of new information, but also the ability to recognize patterns in past events to guide future actions.

This ability allows us to avoid repeating the same mistakes and, at the same time, replicate the strategies that have led us to success in previous situations.

The ability to reflect on our experiences is, therefore, an essential component of intelligence, since it transforms simple experience into useful knowledge.

The Ability to Solve Problems

Intelligence is also clearly manifested in our ability to solve the different problems we face in life.

Solving problems requires the ability to identify a situation, analyze its components, and generate a variety of possible solutions to overcome it.

This process involves critical and creative thinking, as we must evaluate the different alternatives and select the one that is most effective in achieving our goal.

Intelligence, in this sense, is a practical tool that allows us to navigate everyday challenges and find viable paths to overcome the obstacles that arise.

The Ability to Adapt to New Situations

Finally, one of the most important characteristics of intelligence is the ability to use the knowledge we have acquired to adapt to situations that are new.

The world is in a constant state of change, and the ability to be flexible and adjust to new environments is a clear sign of a functional intelligence.

This adaptation not only refers to physical changes in the environment, but also to the ability to adjust to new social, work, and personal dynamics.

Using our accumulated knowledge to thrive in unfamiliar circumstances demonstrates that intelligence is not static, but a dynamic and evolutionary.