Intellect, Intelligence and Awareness

Posted on June 1, 2007
Filed Under Journal, Society, Consciousness |

Following on from the Subjectivity, Imagination and Reality post, there is an entire other area where similar distinctions are often not grasped with much clarity. We live in a culture which worships the Intellect, yet intellect - when used on its own - has very little to do with intelligence or indeed awareness.

Of course the Intellect is certainly worthy of being held in high esteem, after all it is the endeavour of modern education to achieve at least some level of intellect. The retaining of knowledge, and it’s relevant application. The ability to source information in order to achieve certain ends or gain certain understandings. So indeed, the intellect is worthy of its lofty idealism - though on its own it can be a very cold and calculating ideal.

Intelligence and Awareness on the other hand are wholly different, but no less valuable for that. Unfortunately they are often either dis-regarded or mis-understood.

Awareness

I was speaking to someone the other day about memories, and how far back into childhood we could remember. I can remember back to around the age of 2. The conversation moved onto the possibility of someone possessing younger memories, perhaps 1 or even younger. Now the person I was talking to claimed that this wouldn’t be possible - as even very intelligent people don’t appear to have such memories. Well the problem with that is memories are not dependent upon intelligence - and in this case Intelligence was being used to describe education level and application of knowledge; so Intellect then, not intelligence.

Memory of experiences tends to be born from an inner Awareness. An individuals level of awareness generally isn’t determined by their level of intellect. Very young children are usually extremely aware, yet they don’t posses much in the way of intellect. It is their awareness that ultimately aids the development of their Intelligence; the ability to interpret and understand ones environment.

Intelligence

I find it very interesting that the older a child gets the more their awareness diminishes. Their Awareness of their physical self, their awareness of their environment. Watch a toddler closely and there is such a clarity in how they perceive the world - an intent focus on how they interact and see everything that is around them. Moving into adolescence that clarity of awareness is replaced by abstract intelligence…and into adulthood even that can be replaced by abstract and at times dis-associative intellect.

These three traits should ever strive for a balance, because hand-in-hand an Aware individual possessing both Intellect and Intelligence ultimately finds a balance within the world. Looking around at our modern world it is no lie to say things are totally out of balance - yet Intellect rules supreme…

Awareness and Imagination lead onto a path of inner recognition, giving us a clear view of both ourselves and our world. They allow us to walk a path that eventually leads us to unlock entire worlds. Intelligence and Subjectivity teach us how to apply that which we learn in those worlds. Intellect is the mortar that helps us bind our view of reality into a useful cohesive form.

Comments

2 Responses to “Intellect, Intelligence and Awareness”

Sunday Reading - 03 June 2007 : on June 3rd, 2007 2:08 pm

[…] Thoughts published Intellect, Intelligence, and Awareness, a meditation on balancing intellect, awareness, and […]
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Attila Borcsa on June 4th, 2007 3:03 pm

Marcus, you did good to point out the differences and also the connections.
There is obviously a connection between evocable memories and awareness. I can’t make a clear stand-point on whether the diminishing of awareness is a cultural draw back or a possible protective mechanism, or something else. What is clear to me on this is that once maturation starts to unfold, regaining it is a need. More than that, it seems to be essential for any progress in the context of self transformation.
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