The Complexity of Intelligence

The Difficulty of Defining It

Intelligence is extremely difficult to define. Anyone who claims to have defined it has often (if not always, in my opinion) failed by trying to capture something dynamic using static words. The word "movement" does not describe the movement itself; we are merely giving a name to the phenomenon of moving (the same applies to the word "speed", etc.). Therefore, intelligence is just a word used to describe the processes, personality traits, and habits of an individual that lead them to process information with greater depth.

Pattern Recognition: From Music to Mathematics

IQ tests focus on evaluating the ability to recognize patterns and analyze sequences, with which an individual may or may not have had prior experience. It is a reasonable metric for measuring intelligence, and proof of this can be found by analyzing fields like music, mathematics, programming, physics, etc. (greatly simplifying all the unique processes and thinking methods of each field).

A musician, for example, divides an infinite spectrum of frequencies (notes) into what sounds pleasing to them. Next, they build patterns where the combination of several of these notes produces more complex sounds (chords). By creating these patterns, they use them to form entire compositions. When playing them, they don't go through this whole process again; they simply recognize the various patterns (their "Lego bricks"). When playing a piece they have never heard before, they recognize the blocks from other songs, making reading and practicing much easier. Musicians create and recognize patterns — their job is to recognize patterns by ear.

For mathematics, I don't need to go into much detail, as you've likely had some education in the area. Great thinkers, in addition to creating new "Legos", are extremely good at finding patterns. Imagine a problem about a circle: most likely, the formula A = πr² came to mind, or at least the number π, because we connect two abstract ideas this way. Recognizing these patterns is intelligence.

Attention, a very important point: intelligence implies a deep understanding. Knowing the formulas does not mean recognizing and understanding them deeply. But the greater the intelligence and depth of thought, the better we are at seeing the patterns that were hidden.

Beyond IQ: The Engine of Creativity

Therefore, knowing this, we know that recognizing patterns is intelligence, but that's not all. The leaps that great musicians, mathematicians, and geniuses make are not within the spectrum of things an IQ test evaluates. At best, an IQ test can evaluate each individual's learning capacity, because to learn anything new, the most important thing is to recognize patterns and connect them with old ideas (the IQ test also fails by not evaluating the connection between ideas).

Recognizing patterns only takes us so far. What's missing from this recipe for intelligence is creativity. With creativity, we can achieve feats that seem distant. It's as if everyone is walking on foot in the world of ideas, but the one with the creativity to solve problems has a car: they can reach more distant destinations (disconnected and seemingly unrelated) much more easily.