Reply To: How important are brains?

Benign, we’re saying the same thing, except that I assume that intelligence has a definition, though the definition can vary; while you don’t think it necessarily has a definition at all.

Assuming intelligence exists, it can include or exclude any number of mental aptitudes (and of course the definition of “exists” “include” “exclude” “mental” and “aptitudes” would have to be clarified first…). It might be true that IQ tests include random aptitudes or fail to measure any aptitude with any degree of reliability, such that IQ tests could be said to have no relationship with intelligence, but that seems unlikely. More likely it sets a particular meaning of intelligence, measures a discrete set of aptitudes, and fails to measure others which can be included in the meaning of intelligence; but because IQ is the widely available measure relating to “intelligence” it becomes a heuristic for actual general ability.