True leaders...

[Neike Taika-Tessaro]

All right, it's more a funny than any serious musing, but I found it apt to share:

[BLusk]

I actually disagree with that on the principle that I believe that true leaders *can* be made through diligent training and hard work. HOWEVER, the rest is absolutely accurate beyond measure.

Now, if you can take the energetic stupid one and make an intelligent energetic one, you're in better shape. Better yet, if you can take the energetic stupid one, train him/her and make an intelligent, energetic follower who understands the principles of leadership so they can command the influence needed to carry out your will... even better!

Brian

P.S. I would forward Wisdom as a better indicator of a good leader than intelligence.

[Neike Taika-Tessaro]

Where would you draw the line between wisdom and intelligence? Wisdom kind of just sits there, whereas it is intelligence that lets you deal well with new and previously unhandled situations. So I think intelligence is the better term.

[BLusk]

The line is in the practical application of intelligence. Intelligence on its own is virtually useless if you don't know what to do with that intelligence. Hence both wisdom has one purpose, Intelligence another. Blurred lines between the two, though.

Brian

[Neike Taika-Tessaro]

From that, I get the impression you're using intelligence to mean knowledge, and wisdom to mean intelligence. Intelligence is (as already mentioned) the ability to use one's knowledge in a new, previous unencountered situation.

Which makes the term 'wisdom' a bit weird to me, overall - it makes absolutely no sense to me that you would need some extra ability to use an ability you have to use knowledge properly... that's as though someone told me I'd have to aquire some other trait if I knew how to draw well, to draw well.

So I looked it up on wikipedia, and it seems it's strongly tied in with a sense of justice and the whole perception of something being good or evil; or, in other definitions, a thing of experience, and thus a kind of redundant blah.

I say blah and not word because I get annoyed at definitions like that. Can't even lead a proper debate these days. Stupid overlapping definitions.



Struggling out of that frustration for a moment: wisdom = social intelligence? From what I'm reading. And thus, to me, clearly a subset of intelligence. Not the other way around. Certainly not superior to intelligence - if any difference should be noted, inferior.

But that's the thing with definitions of abstract stuff.

Blah.

[BLusk]

in‧tel‧li‧gence  /ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒəns/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-tel-i-juhns] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.

Translation: You can gather, categorize, understand and reach conclusions on information.


wis·dom (wzdm) Pronunciation Key Audio pronunciation of "wisdom" [P]
n.

1. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.
2. Common sense; good judgment: “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things” (Henry David Thoreau).

Translation: You can practically apply information gathered. You know that charging a superior cavalry force with a poorly-trained, smaller infantry is not a good idea. You have a pretty good clue that having a negative balance in your bank account isn't a good thing. Etc.

My take is that intelligence is having a great capacity to gather, categorize and draw conclusions on facts. Wisdom is being able to take even a lesser amount of facts and come to a correct conclusion as to what is the best thing to do to get your desired result.

Brian

[Neike Taika-Tessaro]

You've just effectively removed all humour.
Congratulations.

Edit:

Actually, if we're going to quote conviniently worded dictionary entries in our newly humourless discussion:

[BLusk]

Well, shucks... since most of the misunderstandings between us have been caused by differing definitions of the same *blasted* words, I was simply sharing what definitions I was using and my interpretation thereof with you so that there'd be no misunderstanding.

Clearly, I screwed that one up.

Brian