Summary:

It is clear that not all human beings are equally intelligent. But if we compare two great minds like Albert Einstein and Thomas Jefferson, it is impossible to tell who was smarter. This is because they were brilliant in different ways at different times.

 Juan Huarte de San Juan, a Spanish physician/ philosopher, believed that people have individual ways of thinking with which they approach problems. Some People have a more logical approach while others are more imaginative and creative. Robert Sternberg, another researcher, also distinguished different aspects of intelligence, such as analytical and practical. Huarte also predicted that intelligence had a biological factor. This idea is one of the most active areas of modern intelligence research. Sir Francis Galton, like Charles Darwin, believed that intelligence was largely inherited. Galton also believed that intelligence had some physical factors like the size of someone’s brain and the efficiency of his or her nervous system.

Analysis:
            People have different concepts of what intelligence is. This is because intelligence is not one single element that we can measure, but a group of characteristics and abilities that make a whole. Some people use a logical approach to things by using previous knowledge and experiences, while others use a more creative approach. This shows that there are different types of intelligences and therefore it is hard to define intelligence.
            According to Galton and Darwin intelligence is carried in our genes. This shows that intelligence is at least partly biological, and that it is an innate characteristic that we are already born with.

Questions:

• How did Galton and Darwin prove that intelligence is genetic?
• How much of our intelligence is determined by our genes?
• If intelligence is carried by genes, is it one distinct gene or a collection of different genes?

Hunt, Earl B. Human Intelligence. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011. Print.