Does intelligence = "size of gun barrel," and wisdom = "knowing where to aim"?

submitted by covac from self.nonmorons

Then if a high-IQ person lacks wisdom, isn't he the functional equivalent of a low-IQ moron?

By the same token, if a low or mid-level IQ person has wisdom, is he smart?

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[–]thefirststone 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Power-acuracy analogies work fine if you're ballistic. For the threaded among us, try a computer analogy:

  • Intelligence is processor power.
  • Common sense is installed programs.
  • Wisdom is configuration.

Garbage in, garbage out. Not to reduce man to materialistic terms, but it can be fun to identify bad robots now and then.

[–]wary_observer 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Then if a high-IQ person lacks wisdom, isn't he the functional equivalent of a low-IQ moron?

No, because obviously he is capable, despite his lack of wisdom, of performing higher-level tasks than a low-IQ moron.

By the same token, if a low or mid-level IQ person has wisdom, is he smart?

No, he is wise.

[–]wary_observer 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

"Caliber" is a term sometimes used to describe great intellects. (Others have likened IQ to engine horsepower or CPU processing speed). To develop this metaphor, consider that the NVA, equipped mostly with small-caliber arms, drove off the most powerful army in the world of the time, which was systematically pummeling their country with vastly more devastating weapons, developed and coordinated by well-funded teams of high-IQ individuals. Did the NVA, in a military sense, possess intelligence (large-caliber gun barrels) or wisdom (knew where/how to aim)?

[–]covac[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Even a small caliber can be deadly and effective, if aimed at the right place. They knew where to aim, and never wavered. Basically, the NVA kept its goal modest enough, so it didn't need large-caliber gun barrels (high intelligence) to achieve it. In that sense, wisdom led to victory.

I would also argue that the "most powerful army in the world of the time" had wisdom (it knew where to aim), but lacked courage (which IMO is essential for intelligent decision-making) to follow through on what it was trying to achieve. If it had had courage, its decisions would have been more intelligent, and therefore more effective in defeating the enemy.

[–]trident765 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

I have a coworker/friend who is extremely high IQ and is able to solve problems that confuse me. But he is a conformist moron who wastes his intelligence pointlessly doing the bidding of evil scum, even though he himself is well-intentioned. There is reflexive intelligence which is useful on the time scale of sports, IQ which is useful on the time scale of a math test, and wisdom which is useful on the time scale of a lifetime or several generations.

I am absolutely certain that if you looked at the IQs of vaccinated people vs unvaccinated people, the vaccinated people would have a significantly higher IQ. But for them to trust society on this level indicates a serious lack of wisdom.

[–]wary_observer 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

for them to trust society on this level indicates a serious lack of wisdom.

is able to solve problems that confuse me. But he is a conformist moron

wastes his intelligence pointlessly doing the bidding of evil scum

Wisdom is drilled out of most high-IQ people (if they possess any naturally) through years of training ('education') that is narrowly-focused on specific pattern recognition (plus the ideological indoctrination that is now rampant). This type of intelligence is useful in various types of technical operations -- flying an airplane, performing actuarial calculations, writing a legal brief, etc. -- but is not always sufficient for the business of living life, as such. I think focusing too much on this type of intelligence leads to a serious weakness in the long term; it produces a class of people who are paradoxically highly-skilled in some narrow discipline, but at the same time, astoundingly naive socially and politically (like your colleague).

the vaccinated people would have a significantly higher IQ.

A lot of low-IQ people also get vaccinated, and there are more of them. So it seems IQ is not the issue here.

[–]wary_observer 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

There is reflexive intelligence which is useful on the time scale of sports, IQ which is useful on the time scale of a math test, and wisdom which is useful on the time scale of a lifetime or several generations

I agree with your assessment of the first type of intelligence. Reflexive (physical, athletic) intelligence is useful to the individual (or small band) on an immediate time scale. It was probably much more important in the distant past than in modern society. Its impact does not go far beyond the individual who wields it. I think of this type of intelligence as a low-level (in a non-pejorative sense), animal type of intelligence. It is always manipulated and harnessed by wielders of higher-level types of intelligence. What of lasting significance can a pro athlete, or even an outstanding soldier, achieve, compared to the sports tycoon (or corporation composed of high-IQ individuals) who buys and sells athletes, or a staff-level general, responsible for decisions that affect the fate of nations? This is a question of both time scales and scales of groups and group-affecting actions.

I think IQ is a combination of both innate and trained logical, pattern-recognition, technical problem-solving type intelligence. Its useful time scale might range from the immediate to the middle-term. I think in the longer term things become more complex and unpredictable, and less manageable by this type of intelligence alone. (On historical time scales, one needs to deploy all types of intelligence optimally to have a lasting impact.)

Wisdom is a more elusive term, but I think OP has it right that wisdom is "knowing where to aim". Wisdom could be anything from immediate-term common sense (street smarts) to middle-term social cunning or business acumen to long-term awareness of and alignment with basic time-tested life principles (on both individual and societal scales).