Smartness is Earned — Intelligence is Gifted

“Smartness” comes from both effort and often painful experience.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

So many people judge others or themselves as not being either smart or intelligent because of a lack of education. On the other hand, people with a Ph.D. are often considered more intelligent or smart than they actually are. Certainly, there is at least a minimum level of intelligence to complete high school.

Intelligence is defined in the following ways from these dictionaries: Merriam-Webster Dictionary — Cambridge Dictionary — Dictionary.com — Oxford Dictionary

• the act of understanding
• the ability to deal with new or trying situations
• the ability to make judgments or to form opinions which are based on reason
• the capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity
• the aptitude for grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.
• the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

There are several types of intelligence. Consider these five from the article 5 Factors of IQ which can be enhanced by, but which do not depend on, education:

• Crystallized — It depends on knowledge and skills gained…