By that I mean, are there really some people that are inherently smarter than others?
Obviously we can point to the mentally disabled and say yes. That's fine, I'm not going to contest that idea in this post(I do have my doubts, but they aren't really based on anything). There are savants too, who I'm also going to throw into the "other" category. I'm talking about everyone else. Does a person's IQ score, for example, really mean anything in regards to their life or say anything about what they're able to achieve?
Most of the IQ differences between most humans seem pretty miniscule to me. One thing I often wonder about is if the difference is even noticeable by us. If all other variables were kept the same, and I somehow received 10 extra IQ points, would I actually feel smarter?
Note: I'm aware that IQ tests are pretty controversial, I don't know much of details. I just need a term to quantify intelligence, so if you want just replace 'IQ' with whatever seems most appropriate to you.
I think "being smart" has more to do with being interested in subjects that "smart people" are generally interested in, rather than some sort of inner level of intelligence. I think ease of learning comes from being interested in the subject, not in higher levels of intelligence.
If every human on the planet had their IQ raised by 10 or 20 points, should we expect to see an increase in everyone's quality of life? An increase in technological innovation? An increase in open-mindedness and all that other good stuff? I'm not convinced.
I'm aware that I'm not really saying anything revolutionary here, but I think this viewpoint has lots of implications for our society that aren't generally recognized. We need to shift our priorities. Schools shouldn't be seen as places where kids are sent to learn how "smart people" do things, they should be seen as tools for us to expand our knowledge. We shouldn't compare people based on standardized tests, grades, or even performance in general. Students shouldn't feel pressured to demonstrate their intelligence, they should be given the tools and resources to learn things and explore the subject areas that interest them. The focus of education shouldn't be to be smart and perform well(I'd even eliminate performance measures altogether), it should be to learn stuff.
Our educational system is set up like a competition. We point to certain people that have developed interests in certain subjects(mostly sciences) as being more intelligent. And then we give them some of the highest-paying jobs, the highest quality of education, etc.
Most people accept that as fair, but it really isn't. Most people could've developed interest in those fields and performed just as well, but didn't for whatever reason. There's nothing wrong with that, but our society punishes these people. They're branded as failures, given few resources to secure a good job, and many times end up doing the work that nobody else wants to do simply out of necessity. They often times also develop a self-fulfilling prophecy where they feel stupid and incapable of learning, which could have serious consequences for the quality of their lives.
That's discrimination, it's wrong, it's unhelpful, and it causes more problems than it solves. What if, instead, we didn't evaluate students based on their performance, and instead focused entirely on assisting them in the pursuit of their own educational interests? What if universities were made open to the public and anybody, at any age, with any academic background, could utilize the resources their for their own educational benefit? I think we'd see happier people, "smarter" people, people with a larger amount of skills, and of course, a freer society in general.
Would that be a better society, or am I just a naive anarchist? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
