Thoughts on Intelligence

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery


I will admit it took me almost half the book before I was convinced that I could really comprehend and enjoy what I was reading, but it did lend to some rather complex thoughts. I can't say I really recommend this book but it will teach you some new vocabulary and make you think twice about the world around you.

I have some thoughts on one thought from the book on p166-167.
"I am going to say something really banal, but intelligence, in itself, is neither valuable nor interesting. Very intelligent people have devoted their lives to the question of the sex of angels, for example. But many intelligent people have a sort of bug: they think intelligence is an end in itself. They have one idea in mind: to be intelligent, which is really stupid. And when intelligence takes itself for its own goal, it operates very strangely: the proof that it exists is not to be found in the ingenuity or simplicity of what it produces, but in how obscurely it is expressed."

I found this to be excessively true and quite interesting. I think the human mind is fascinating and we are obviously creatures made to create and explore and acquire knowledge. I think what she describes here is maybe the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Anyone can be intelligent, know alot about something. But it takes someone wise to know how to apply it so it will have the most impact.

I was thinking about space travel and and the exploration of the universe. I can see both sides of the coin. We are born to explore and what more uncharted territory is there than space. I can see how this exploration has benefited us as a society. And yet, how many billions of dollars are spent on this exploration? Enough to feed the world I'm sure. It just seems a little unbalanced. I'm not sure what we are racing towards. It's like we have to keep up with the Jones's because if we don't then...I'm not sure? We get taken over and the country with the biggest guns wins? And this is supposed to convince me that we are intelligent beings capable on our own of doing good?

But I digress. So in conclusion I would just like to say that intelligence is a good thing. But please, don't just flaunt your intelligence as a badge. Do something with it to prove that you deserve it.