Do we need to redefine Intelligence?
At the very heart of human intelligence lies finding solutions in other words problem-solving. From the very early years of our existence when all the inventions were made to find solutions, to meet one or the other needs, till today as a human race we are consistently involved in either finding solutions or improvising the existing solutions. So, someone’s capability to problem solve effectively in a real-world context has become the real definition of intelligence today. The problems that we have been trying to solve have evolved from being standard problems (with predefined answers) to dynamic problems, requiring multiple party perspectives, and having real consequences on the lives of people.
How equipped our existing learning and development system is, to develop individuals who can identify the problem areas and henceforth find the solutions to improve things from where they are. Unlike theoretical problems, real-world problems are not clearly defined or presented to you. They do not have standard solutions and need to be evaluated on case to case basis, every time from a fresh perspective. Hence along with logic which is required to solve standard problems other skills perhaps become more critical while solving real-world problems. Skills such as
1. Observation to identify problems,
2. Creativity to come out with innovative solutions,
3. Logic to identify factors involved & evaluate the solutions,
4. Character & Courage to decide on balanced/fair solutions &
5. Empathy to collaborate to implement the solutions.
We need to develop a system to develop these skills so that we can develop effective real-world problem solvers. Though it’s difficult to measure & develop these skills in a standard format owing to the very nature of the skills. We can still develop some formats like the Case Study method to imbibe and evaluate these abilities from an early age.
Well, why is it needed? If we wish to have a future race of humans who can solve problems to make the world a better place to live, we need this mechanism else we will continue on our present path of so-called progression where IQs of the people have improved over the years but ironically the variety and gravity of the problems that human beings face has also increased. So in a nutshell, if we want a life worth living we need to change the way we define and develop intelligence.
