What Makes a Person 'Smart'?

SkyChaser

SkyChaser

Pattern Altitude
Joined
Mar 22, 2020
Messages
2,015
Display Name
Display name:
SkyChaser
Enjoy!

Please refrain from judging intelligence (or lack thereof) by such methods as political leanings or amount of toilet paper a person bought about four weeks ago.

And yes, I totally stole this idea and title from denverpilot...I'm not smart enough to come up with it on my own. ;)
 
I always think of "smart" as the ability to associate facts or concepts to come up with new <valid> ideas and/or solve new problems.

I think you can be smart and still be ignorant (meaning you haven't learned a lot of facts/history/concepts).
 
I guess I’d say smart is the ability to learn. Informed is having learned a lot of facts. Wise is knowing when to apply the knowledge.
 
If you bought one of these, you are not smart:
smart-fortwo-micro-car-2010-front-quarter-main.jpg
 
Usually they will just tell you, apparently that's all it takes to be smart.
 
I have been mistakenly called “smart,” but they were just confusing “smart” with “too dumb to stop trying.” Stubborn makes up a lot of ground.
 
eman1200 said:
flying a low wing
Click to expand...

I knew there was one other thing I was forgetting to exclude from this discussion! LOL

Does flying a low wing make you smart the same way being rich and good-looking does? ;)
 
Avoiding the Internet and social media?
 
-KLB- said:
Avoiding the Internet and social media?
Click to expand...

I kinda don't want to touch this one even with a 10' pole. ;)

I know a few people that inform me they are smarter because they don't do the internet or social media thing...but I have no idea if it is true. I think a smart person could use both to a great advantage if used wisely.
 
SkyChaser said:
I kinda don't want to touch this one even with a 10' pole. ;)

I know a few people that inform me they are smarter because they don't do the internet or social media thing...but I have no idea if it is true. I think a smart person could use both to a great advantage if used wisely.
Click to expand...
I was rather tongue in cheek with that one. And I’m going to guess most people who do claim they come out ahead, don’t actually use the time they save otherwise occupied enhancing their brain.
 
To me "Smart" is the ability to amass, retain, and recall knowledge

"Intelligence" is the ability to properly apply that knowledge to the situation

They are absolutely exclusive of each other.

Now I've been calls a "smart a$$" quite a few times...so doing something right.
 
SkyChaser said:
I knew there was one other thing I was forgetting to exclude from this discussion! LOL

Does flying a low wing make you smart the same way being rich and good-looking does? ;)
Click to expand...


Sorta; actually, it's the dumbing effect of high wings that makes it appear this way. Flying a high wing causes brain damage every time I smack my forehead into the damn flap.
 
Parenting that would be negligent by today's standards. Let kids go out and play with no rules other than to be home by supper. They learn how to socialize, how to get into trouble, how to get out of trouble, how to fight, how to bury the hatchet and make friends again, how to navigate life and the world, what it feels like to get lost, and how to get un-lost. They also learn time management, usually as a result of having learned the consequences of tardiness when they arrive home late.

Rich
 
Also bring back shop class, even for college-prep kids. Shop class is where I learned math, physics, and chemistry. What seemed pointless in those classes suddenly seemed relevant when I had to calculate bend allowance in sheet metal class, troubleshoot a circuit, mix paint, machine something using a lathe, heat treat that something, and so forth.

Shop class was where what the "academic" teachers taught took hold in a way that resulted in my never earning less than an "A" in a math class in high school or college. It made the boring and theoretical exciting and useful.

Rich
 
One thing I've noticed... I am very good at identifying "how dumb" a person is relative to me, but for those smarter than me, it's just binary (yes/no).

This comes in handy when I rely on another's judge of character or situation for example.
 
Someone who reads warning labels and then decides not to proceed.

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk
 
schmookeeg said:
One thing I've noticed... I am very good at identifying "how dumb" a person is relative to me, but for those smarter than me, it's just binary (yes/no).
Click to expand...


Same here. I figure it's because there are so few calibration samples in the "smarter than me" category. :D
 
In my mind:
(1) having emotional temperance.. IE, not FrEaKinG OuT
(2) collecting all the facts before passing judgment
(3) problem solving
(4) being able to find multiple tasks for one object.. IE, a paperclip is not just a paperclib
(5) trust but verify policy
(6) being able to play the long game if needed, in other words, willing to take a loss in a given "battle" if it means a victory for the war in general
 
GaryM said:
I think we here can all agree that passing a check ride and earning a pilot certificate qualifies.
Click to expand...
I’ve known enough pilots who drastically misapplied rote knowledge that I’d have to disagree.

but most of them were ATPs, so maybe at the Sport/Private Pilot level it qualifies. ;)
 
MauleSkinner said:
I’ve known enough pilots who drastically misapplied rote knowledge that I’d have to disagree.

but most of them were ATPs, so maybe at the Sport/Private Pilot level it qualifies. ;)
Click to expand...

It was never said they were smart after the checkride was passed and the certificate earned. ;)

And y'all made my day. Some of this stuff is pretty funny!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top