What Constitutes Intelligence?

Courtney Mills

Tcho Caulker

Intelligence Paper

16 April 2016

What Constitutes Intelligence?

        According to Google, the definition of intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.  If this is the case then why is it that everyone’s abilities and skills are not the same? I look at life like a canvas. When born, the canvas is empty. We can add a few colors to the canvas based on genetics. At this point, your canvas only matches your immediate family. Then, as we grow up we encounter experiences, experiences that sometimes don’t involve our immediate family. For each experience we will add another color, with each color we will start adding lines and by the end of our lives we have this beautiful canvas, a beautiful work of art like no others. With this canvas, we have created an individual and in my opinion, individually is what constitutes intelligence.

        So what constitutes individually? Well in my opinion, experiences and genetics constitutes individually. We can look at myself as an example. I grew up in Milford, Connecticut, a place right on the Long Island Sound. Every summer I had the opportunity to spend the hot dreadful days at the beach. Since the beach was right across the street from my house I had the opportunity to go whenever I wanted to.  I practiced swimming almost everyday each summer. In High School, I tried out for the swimming team and made varsity and then eventually I made states. I was also good at soccer because my dad was a semi professional soccer player for Liverpool. My dad would practice soccer skills with me every weekend and brought me up to the Central Connecticut State University soccer games to practice with the team because his best friend was the coach. These experiences helped me grow as an athlete. Recently, I had the opportunity to start golf. I quickly picked up on it because of my Uncle. My Uncle recently retired from the New York Fire Department and has been golfing year round since. He takes me out on the golf course a couple times a year and helps me work on my technique. Because of these experiences, I am uniquely intelligent when it comes to Sports, these three in particular. I’ve had opportunities and experiences that not every individual has. This adds a unique color to my canvas giving me a new perspective on the world that not everyone has.

        In my opinion, genetics as well has an important role in individually. Genetics influence our abilities and looks. Unfortunately, in this day and age, looks help you gain the experiences in life. For example, in America, being a specific race influences the opportunities you get in life. I wish it wasn’t this way but unfortunately it is. Genetics help you get the experiences we get in life and if you don’t have the “perfect” genetics then you’re experiences become limited. Luckily, this can shape an individual and can give them a new perspective on life as well. My genetics have led me to stop doing something I love. My genes have led to me getting arthritis in my knees. It’s hard for me doing sports for a long period of time these days because of this. My genes had led to a disadvantage in my life but also led to an advantage.