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[walligowdy]

Are some people qualitatively different than others? I'd like to believe that the answer is no, that every person is of equal worth, and every individual has unique strengths. I'd like to believe that every person has equal potential. I'd like to believe that every person has a chance to create opportunities and live the life of his or her

Comments

[coriolinus]

The idealistidc perception is that "all men are created equal." It is trivial to observe that this is not literally true; unfortunately, I suspect that it is equally untrue on a metaphorical level. The universe would be more fair if, on some level, everyone's strengths and weaknesses could be summed to a level constant across the board. The universe isn't characterized by designing for fairness, though. I can't prove it, but my perception is that some people are just better than others.

Are some people just simply stronger than others? Of course. Why should the same not be true of mental strength? Smartness, like physical strength, can be measured by any number of attributes; the fastest sprinter in the world is a far different person from the person who wins marathons, and both of them are leagues away from someone who wins heavyweight lifting competitions.

When I gauge someone's intelligence, the easiest quality to look at is their speech. A smart person has mastered English, and doesn't hesitate to play with it; they can express themself both eloquently and whimsically. However, I think that there are better yardsticks for intelligence if one is given the chance to observe someone for a long period of time.

Just as the most obvious measurement of strength is how much weight one can lift, the most obvious measurement of intelligence is how quickly one learns. However, this must be qualified by another factor: how interested one is in learning. A person who learns exceptionally fast, but hates and avoids it, can't be considered smart. People who I consider smart tend both to be quick to learn, and actively seek out knowledge and skill.

I break down the components of ability as follows: skill, talent, and intelligence. Skill is the accumulated knowledge and craftsmanship one has acquired in an area; it can be improved through practice and/or study. Talent is native proficiency in an area; it is inborn and cannot be improved. Intelligence modifies the rate at which skill can be acquired. One can therefore be skilled without being intelligent, through the simple expedient of hard work. Similarly, a person with an acute intuition in an area may be talented, but it doesn't contribute to their intelligence.

I suspect that anyone can, with enough effort, accomplish anything achievable by someone else with similar strengths. However, as the amounts of effort involved can be large, many people will simply decline to invest the effort.

I recently discovered that I can balance on my bicycle without touching my feet to the ground for up to ten seconds after I bring the bike to a complete stop. For many people, I suspect that this would be simply impossible. I can do it because I have practiced riding extremely slowly for years, mainly to avoid removing my feet from the pedals at traffic lights so that I could avoid the inconvenience of reclipping them when the light turned. It's more a matter of practice than anything else.