Intelligence
Intelligence can mean different things to different people. It is easy to look at someone who is a rocket scientists or a brain surgeon and think that person represents intelligence. But, a rocket scientist can be ignorant of proper social interactions and a brain surgeon can be terrible at writing essays. Everyone is good at some things and everyone is bad at some things.
Modern society seems to think that intelligence and skill, especially certain kinds of skill, is the same thing. If someone is skilled at math, writing, or speaking, they are usually considered intelligent. On the other hand, plenty of people do not have those traditional skills, but are skilled at art, music, or social interaction. All of those types of skills are signs of intelligence and lacking some skills does not make someone less intelligent.
How should intelligence be defined?
Maybe intelligence should not be defined in general terms. Instead intelligence should be dependent on the needs and the opinions of the person who is defining intelligence. For example, if a factory floor manager is looking for someone who is great at fixing machines, she would define mechanical ability as intelligence.
What is the best way to measure intelligence?
There is no one “best way” to measure intelligence because there are so many different ways to be intelligent. One way to measure would be to develop tests that measure specific kinds of intelligence. The tests could be given to children to see what they are skilled at, and what areas they may need to work on. Adults could take the tests if their job required a certain kind of intelligence.
Are the standard intelligence tests adequate?
The standard intelligence tests are not accurate because they only measure one or a few types of intelligence. They are also not culturally appropriate, which means that, often, the questions and answers are hard for different types of people to answer. Using these methods, the tests could be adequate for the intended purposes of the group offering the tests. Just giving a one size fits all test and then calling it an intelligence test definitely leaves out certain ways that a person could be intelligent.
Conclusion
Even the best intelligence tests could leave certain people out, either because they are designed by, and for, only one culture or only a few types of intelligences. Maybe tests should focus on skills instead of intelligence and intelligence can be kept as a matter of opinion and not as a way to determine if a person is smart or useful.
Video Games and Violence
The debate over whether or not video games can cause violence has been around almost as long as video games have been around. People are worried that children and teenagers will act the same way that they see the characters in video acting. Video games can depict anything from shooting and stabbing people to violently fighting and killing people.
The connection between playing violent video games and aggressive behavior
Some experts believe that mass shootings, such as the one the occurred in Columbine, happened because the teenage shooters played violent video games. They might have been desensitized to violence and come to see it as normal, or perhaps they began to confuse video games with reality. While it is true that violent video games probably don’t help with violent teenagers, it is like the teenagers would have been violent no matter what type of game they played.
