Isaac Asimov raises a question: How do we define intelligence? Defining intelligence is rather subjective— society tends to perceive a professor skilled at teaching as highly intelligent, while the best auto repairman is seen otherwise. To Asimov, society’s way of perceiving intelligence is skewed. He defies how intelligence is measured and generalized by mere aptitude tests. Arguing that intelligence is contingent on one’s experience, abilities, and the context or profession in which they apply their skills or knowledge. To me, intelligence is akin to talent; an innate potential one is born with and is further nurtured by the environment. Similar to Asimov, there are many ways to define intelligence. I say it is akin to listing a checklist of criteria that must be met to characterize it. Thus, intelligent people have the following characteristics: able to quickly grasp new-found material or information, able to retain information, comprehend and apply it to become knowledge, able to think critically and outside the box to form connections between different areas of knowledge, able to freestyle or make adaptations spontaneously for practical application, i.e. problem-solving or mundane task, and able to be versatile in excellence for various fields, not limited to academia but extending to a broad range of profession and expertise. I, myself do recognize that I excel in math-related subjects and always have an optimistic outlook on my capabilities. I have a keen interest in numbers, love morning walks, and graphic design. I’m talented to be able to wiggle both my ears.

Seeing my Multiple Intelligence survey results, I seem to rank highest in spatial, logical, and interpersonal intelligence. I seem to excel in spatial intelligence, which implies that I can visualize things in my head and learn best visually. As for logic, this doesn’t come as a surprise at all—after all, I’m confident with numbers. Although, I find my lowest-ranked intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, extremely confusing. It indicates that I should be “able to distinguish among your own feelings, build accurate mental models of yourself and draw on these models to make decisions about your life.” Perhaps, it’s hinting about self-awareness and making informed life choices. Frankly, only the first two intelligence types are accurate; the last one is elusive and not relatable to me at all.