(September 26, 2017 at 4:54 pm)beepete Wrote:(September 26, 2017 at 9:55 am)Astonished Wrote: You can link videos so the video actually shows up in the post rather than linking to it. Also it would be polite to at least describe what it is you're substituting for your own words.
Rules are rules (just ask Moses - seems we all need them and I was unaware of the link violation). It was a small clip by Carl Sagan on religion, science and the cosmos in general. It was not a substitution for my own words - Carl Sagan was far too articulate and clever for that. I had started to form the opinion (incorrectly it now seems) that I would discover people of his intellectual caliber and rationality on this forum.Perhaps they are here somewhere, but I'm yet to find him. Thanks for the tip on being polite.
To my knowledge (please forgive my ignorance if I'm mistaken and please correct me), humanity has yet to come up with a universally accepted definition of what intelligence actually is. However, via David Wechsler, a pioneer of intelligence testing and founder of the WAIS, if we define intelligence as "the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with his environment,” then IMO, there are definitely people on this forum who fit this description and probably fall into the very superior category of intelligence as per the WAIS; it's just a matter of having the patience to find them and to be open-minded/inquisitive enough to appreciate their insights.
P.S. based on my observations, intellectual giftedness comes in many forms, and if an individual is too preoccupied with their own definitions/preconceptions of intelligence, then it is very easy to overlook someone who is intellectually talented in an uncommon and highly interesting way.
