U4 ESSAY - OPTION B: INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence
By Sandra Gaete Fuentes

Prof. Laura Robinson

FHS-1500
Salt Lake Community College

Abstract
In this essay, the following sets of questions will be answer:
1. Think of intelligent people whom you know well. What unintelligent things do
they do? All of them are bound to do some unintelligent things, so why do you
consider them to be intelligent people? Were you emphasizing some factors at the
expense of others? Explain.
2. Did you ever consider that the homeless shelter might be filled with people of
tremendous potential? There might be a world-class archer, a great poet, a
magnificent violinist, and a great president. However, the archer never happened
to try the bow, the poet never tried writing, the violinist ignored music, and the
president never ran for office. Instead, they worked at other things and weren't
very good. Some might think of themselves as failures, although they would have
been successful if they had only tried these other things. What argument is being

U4 ESSAY - OPTION B: INTELLIGENCE

made by these statements? How would the concept of a general intelligence refute
this argument?

Have you ever heard of the case of Dr. Ferrante murder trial case? Dr.
Ferrante was a University of Pennsylvania researcher and a neuroscientist. In 2014,
he was convicted of first-degree murder for poisoning his wife. He is now serving a
life sentence. Perhaps Dr. Ferrante is innocent. Oppositely, there are also very well
educated people (experts on their field on forensics, and detective skills) that based
on their studies convicted the right man. By many, Dr. Ferrante was considered a
very intelligent man because of his high level of education, but he made a very
unintelligent decision. On his paper The Purpose of Education, Martin Luther King
put it in the best words possible: The cause of education, therefore, is to teach one
to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency
may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the
man gifted with reason, but with no morals. He went on saying then We must
remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the
goal of true education. Therefore, intelligence and character should be seen as a
whole in order to be effective in a person.

I believe my father was very intelligent because he read and studied

copiously. Sometimes I would see him finishing a book in a day. I always admire my
fathers knowledge from reading. Upon reflecting on the past, I can see the many
unintelligent things he did. He would not pay bills on time. He also cheated on my

U4 ESSAY - OPTION B: INTELLIGENCE

mother several times. That, to my opinion, was the most intelligent of all things. His
cheating lead them to divorce. Sometimes, he reflects on his actions and regrets
many of them. I also though my grandfather was a very intelligent person. He was a
chemistry engineer that work for the detective police unit in Chile. However, he, like
his son (my father), also cheated on my grandma. I never though she was a nice
lady, but I would not wish deception from a loved one on anyone. He would also
allow my grandma to smoke inside the house being aware of his asthma. He finally
died because of a cardiac arrest cause by an asthma attack when I was 5. I also
consider my mothers father to be very smart. He has the mind of an engineer. He
can make really great stuff out of nothing. He built his house with his own hands
from foundation, and that house has been able to stay up for more than 50 years
despite multiples earthquakes. His knowledge and skills didnt help him to make the
best decisions either. He cheated on my grandmother. He also made some financial
mistakes that cost him greatly, and the list goes on and on according to my mom.

These three men, despite their great knowledge and skills, still have done
unintelligent things. I believe their intelligence failed because of their lack of
character. They knew right from wrong, or so I hope, but they allowed their morals
to bend. Just like Dr. Ferrante, in a different level, they hurt their wives multiple
times and made bad decisions, so why I consider them intelligent? I guess I did
because of common thought shared by society; they knew a great deal, so they
must be intelligent. I think I emphasized some factors at the expense of others. I
overlooked their character and what they thought to be right and wrong over their
knowledge and understanding.

U4 ESSAY - OPTION B: INTELLIGENCE

I guess overlooking is what we do most of the time. After reading about

multiple intelligences, I have never considered the homeless shelter could be full of
potential. After pondering this idea, I realize that it could be possible. I do agree with
it because I have realize learning is a different process for everyone. The only way
to refute this argument would be making absolute the statement of general
intelligence. If we do focused on their IQ/cognitive task instead of their potential in
different areas, most homeless people would fail. However, since these are all
theories, we can still speculate and await new discoveries that will lead us to truth
(Berger, 2014, p.269-271).

References

Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth
Publishers.

http://www.drmartinlutherkingjr.com/thepurposeofeducation.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/pitt-researcher-faces-life-sentence-wifepoisoning-article-1.2102683