In the simplest terms, intelligence is one of the most popular and, at the same time, elusive concepts that drew the attention of thinkers, scientists, and educators. Firstly, it is worth admitting that the intelligence definition that has been considered up to now and which has its roots in the works of such scholars as Francis Galton or Alfred Binet is focused on intelligence as on the specific kind of mental activities; however, the modern theories of intelligence prove that intelligence consists not only of cognitive but also of emotional, social and personal competencies. This reader’s manual gives an overview of intelligence starting from the basic forms of intelligence and culminating with the means of defining it.
What is Intelligence?
In the quest to understand the complexities of the human mind, one question consistently arises: what can intelligence be defined as? This rather vague idea has been investigated by scholars belonging to very different fields including philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, and holders of all these positions attempted to outline the nature of intelligence. Thus, in this article, readers will learn about the definition of intelligence, the different types of intelligence examined, and the methods of its assessment.