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Shaylee Dunyon

FHS 1700-Sp17
27 February 2017

Option B: Intelligence

Question:
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.
Answer:
The first scenario that pops into my mind is (intelligent) doctors that I have
worked with, or that I have been around that choose to smoke. The irony in such a
situation is unbelievable to me, and I consider this to be a great example of intelligent
people who do something obviously unintelligent. The reason I say this is because as
medical professionals, doctors know the harm that smoking causes to the body, yet some
doctors choose to feed their addictions anyways. I think theyre intelligent when it comes
to the knowledge they have regarding the body, the skills they learn in medical school,
and their ability to work high up in the medical field. However, I do not think that
smoking is an intelligent action even though doctors are generally intelligent people.
Another example that I immediately thought of is people who choose to text while
driving, or drink and then drive. I cannot begin to explain my disappointment when I
drive on the road and see how many people carelessly look at their phones while
swerving, stopping suddenly, or even crashing into another car. Statistically it is clear that
such unintelligent actions can lead to serious harm or death. In Utah, over 75% of fatality
types are Alcohol/Drug impaired, and fewer than 25% are due to distracted driving.
(Statistics - Utah Zero Fatalities | The Road To Zero." Utah Zero Fatalities. N.p., n.d.
Web. 27 Feb. 2017). These are alarming statistics and proof that although many of these
people might be intelligent in other aspects, they are unintelligent in their driving habits
or decisions.
Lastly, a less severe example is that of students who choose not to go to class and
skip out on doing homework, arguably an unintelligent action. In the book it describes
general intelligence as, The idea that intelligence is one basic trait, underlying all
cognitive abilities (Berger, 2016, p. G6). For some people, like my brother, intelligence
is natural, but he has found that not applying himself in college is not quite the intelligent
approach to take. I think he, by definition, is a very intelligent person when he chooses to
fully apply himself, but his academic transcripts during his first semester did not support
that opinion.

Question:
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 made by these statements? How would the
concept of a general intelligence refute this argument?
Answer:
I can honestly say that up until my late teenage years, I had not considered that
the homeless shelter might be filled with people that have potential. Although looking
back I think I knew all along, and was taught to believe, that everyone has potential; like
a big rock sitting on top of a hill has the potential to move quickly to the bottom, when
pushed correctly. Painting this picture (of the rock) helps me understand the potential that
people, who seem stuck or unmoving, have to go great distances. One of my all time
favorite authors has a beautiful way of sharing real life stories about scenarios as
described above. On the Humans of New York website, the story of a mother and her
children in a homeless shelter answers yes to the question above that indeed, people have
potential to do great things even if their situation might present itself otherwise. The mom
shares that her husband had a great job and together their family was doing well, but
when he was murdered it left her depressed and ultimately in a homeless shelter because
she was unable to pay bills, tend to her children, and even brush her hair
(Humansofnewyork. "Humansofnewyork." Humans of New York. N.p., 02 May 2015.
Web. 27 Feb. 2017). I believe that like many of the people that are in homeless shelters,
this mother has the potential to be great at something, but I also believe that we cannot
know unless we try. With that being said, I also think that it takes trial and error to know
what we are good at, as well as patience to learn how to become good at things we put
our minds to.

References
Berger, K. S. (2016) Invitation o the life span (third edition) New York, NY:
Worth Publishers.

Humans of New York. Humans of New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2017.

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