Intelligence, and Schooling

Have you noticed how bright people are often easily bored?

Well, there are lots of problems with this statement, one of which is that there really isn't an (1) objective, (2) reliable and consistent, and (3) useful way of measuring intelligence; until such a thing is discovered, we're going to have arguments about what it is.

That doesn't mean we can't make statements about intelligence.  It just means that these statements are going to be challenged by lots of people, simply because their own intuitive understanding of intelligence is at odds with say, my understanding of it. 

One thing it could mean is the ability to absorb ideas.  For years we've come across people who can't conceive that we've succeeded in putting people on the moon.  There are lots of problems here; their concept of what the moon is, their understanding of basic science, their fear of the consequences of admitting that they (now) believe that it happened, and so on.  Of course, absorbing ideas is one thing; organizing them in one's mind to form a useful structure is quite another. 

Another concept that is often called intelligence is the ability to solve problems.  This is a very reasonable understanding of the word, related to the first idea. 

OK, my theory is that, because intelligent people often get bored, one of the things we have to do—the family, their social group, society as a whole—is to teach them some options for how to keep themselves amused and entertained.  And I believe the function of education is exactly this.

Now, seeing how education has to be a communal activity, and seeing how communal activity is usually organized politically, nobody who suggest a connection between education and entertainment is going to get any sort of approval.  In fact, judging from how hard school districts across the country are coming down on Art and Music, you can readily believe that the ordinary man in the street takes a completely Keep Art and Music Out of our Schools attitude about the matter.

But we need smart kids to be educated.  They need to be taught all the math and computer science and engineering they will need to join engineering companies, and airlines, and city planners, in order that our complicated lives will continue to function smoothly.  And we need them to be amused and entertained while they're doing it. 

While the country was mostly in shut- down mode during the pandemic, there were scores of citizens being bored out of their minds, and some of them taking it out on their children.  This is so sad; if only they knew ways of keeping their kids amused!  And why not amuse them in some educational way?  Sure, it isn't easy, but it is important.  Unfortunately many parents think that it wasn't their job to deal with the problem.  Well, of course it isn't, in some definitions of 'job'.  But we mustn't think of children as just some tiny nuisances that have very little to do with us, you know.  A kid who has been taught well in school and at home, can quickly snap into 'this sounds interesting' mode if dad or mom makes them sit down and listen. 

To be honest, though, it would have been a challenge to keep this up over weeks and months.  In future epidemics, city and state planners will, we hope, have ideas about how to manage being closed down without going crazy, but that's not something we can depend upon. 

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