The Encumbrance Theory of Intelligence (ETI) - Philosophy of
Psychology?
I'm not against operationalism of
intelligence expressed as I.Q. I think it can be very useful and I also like the
fact that the systems are continually reviewed and improved.
This theory
assumes that the mind continuously considers objects of interest, both necessary
and optional. When one puts the mind to something this process runs until the
mind deems it finished, temporarily or finally.
The ETI is the notion
that people who are caught in struggles in life scores lower on I.Q.-tests than
their non-trifled counterparts. The premise is that those who are caught in
difficult struggles have to devote resources of their consciousness to the
problem so when these are tested, their mind is simultaneously considering other
issues as well on some level. In a sense they are not truly free, enjoying
freedom.
Unencumbered people are free to be as aggressive on intellectual
challenges as much as their hearts can pump blood through the brain. They have
no serious worries occupying their minds.
Besides, in this, I assume that
people are made up of "souls" and are initially equally perfect. It's the
environment that hooks up their processes of consc. to the level of their
current picture of intelligence, say I.Q. That is, reality is detriment to the
ideal, "soul" condition. Obviously, I don't argue from the premise of souls
which I find rather distasteful at the present moment. Nurture can do a lot to
people, I find. I say this so that you may get a clue from where I'm coming
from. In a sense, people are perfect as reactions from the factors of life.
Edit: "That is, reality is detriment to the ideal, "soul" condition." Don't get
me wrong! It's apparent that you build your intelligence through the course of
life and that death, of what we know for sure, extinguishes both life and
intelligence.
Alright! This is the start. There will be more.
I
look forward to your opinions! Feel free to throw in what you think is
appropriate! There is a book on the other side of "The Bell Curve" that I'm
looking for, but it's not "The Bell Curve Discussion". Any
suggestions?
I
agree that my theory doesn't account for physical (genetic) defects or brain
diseases. It's the case that I don't intend to make it that way. I can however
interpret you to mean also the physical structure that is supposed to make the
impression of qualia or whatever and in this respect also, my theory is flat. I
hold that if the brain is relatively healthy, my theory says something despite
relatively small differences. Two people who score 170 in IQ are analogous to
two people who bench 150 kg. I see no important differences between those two
sets. I agree that intelligence is a complex issue (therefore operationalism),
but I also have the impression that smart people in science are quite open to
talk about intelligence and what makes them good. Access to data is plentiful in
other words.
On ETI further as clarification:
Clarification: My intelligence theory comes on top of these other three factors, the basic foundation:
1. Diet issues as in staying healthy, eating (accepting some deviation, perhaps) relevant food.
2. Physical exercise, as in having a good pulse band to move in, both for calm and for intensity, during harder working periods when inspiration is peeking or when impportant work is being completed.
3. Mental exercise, being pro-active, toward information, solving puzzles, riddles, having control on "IQ-tests-patterns-for-testing" (not knowing exactly what they are, though) and the sort, i.e., knowing what intelligence is and how the science goes!
Alright, sum is, all in all, 3 groups to care for before my ETI enters as described!
Note: the time stamps from the forum put proper, Posted 07/24/09 - 04:17 PM; forums.philosophyforums.com and Posted 07/23/09 - 10:13 PM; forums.philosophyforums.com.