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Basis of Intelligence

edited September 2008 in General
Do you guys think intelligence is based more on genetics or environment? and why...

Comments

  • edited December 2007
    Good topic. It would obviously help to have a working definition of what intelligence is, but generally, I believe it comes from both. The potential for great intelligence comes from genetics. That is, you are born with the capacity for intelligence; yet how you act and interact with your environment will be the basis for whether or not this capacity is realized.

    Though people are born with the potential for intelligence, this does not mean that these people will grow mentally if they are idle. Hence, environment is almost as important. I'm sure that if we were to examine the brains of "intelligent" people, we'd find some sort of difference (I am not referring to geniuses here because many of them had mental problems; I'm just referring those who perform above or well above average). This difference would probably be expressed in the intelligent person's brain's ability to, say, hold more information. So all environmental factors equal, the individual with the greater capacity for intelligence will be more intelligent.

    None of what I said conflicts with the notion that there are multiple definitions of intelligence (e.g. creative intelligence, emotional intelligence, mathematical ingelligence, etc.). Ultimately, the extent to which potential is harnessed (environmentally obviously) is the principal determinant of how intelligent you are.
  • edited December 2007
    For me I think it all relates to how much someone cares to apply themselves.

    Some people dont care if their actions affect others, so its self control, I think anyway.

    Sure there are some people with actual mental disorders...but I think a lot of it is in their own mind, how they were raised etc
  • edited September 2008
    both, as insatiable said.

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