The four concepts: genius, high intelligence, smartness and cleverness, share common characteristics because they all draw on our ability to learn and to solve problems–intelligence. Consequently, we’ll build on the definition of intelligence in order to distinguish among these concepts.
Intelligence
The following definition of intelligence, given by psychologist Linda Gottfredson in 1997, has achieved wide consensus among members of the American Psychological Association (APA):
Intelligence is a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience. It is not merely book-learning, a narrow academic skill, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings, “catching on,” “making sense” of things, or “figuring out” what to do.
Intelligence is related to neural efficiency, and the ability of the brain to process information, see patterns, and formulate abstract concepts. Of the four concepts, intelligence is the most amenable to objective measurement. IQ tests provide the best measure of intelligence that we have, although they are accurate only within a restricted range of IQ’s and fail to measure all dimensions of mental acuity. For more information on IQ tests, visit: What are the best tests for measuring your IQ? – Intelligence and IQ
High Intelligence
Modern techniques in tomography and other technologies have enabled us to discover that people’s brains have different neural efficiencies that are manifest in mental processing speeds, short-term memory and vocabulary acquisition. Those who have high intelligence have a neural efficiency that enables them to learn, problem solve, and think abstractly to a degree much greater than the average person. They have high IQs and usually display a wide range of interests in which they acquire significant knowledge. Those of extremely high intelligence differ, not only in degree but in kind, in their cognitive processing. That is, they have the ability to make connections between concepts that even most highly intelligent people would miss.
Cleverness
Many people who are significantly higher than average in intelligence, but not necessarily outstanding in abstract thinking, demonstrate an inventiveness that we regard as “clever.” In 1909, Gideon Sundback registered a patent for a device that would become known as a “zipper.” His invention was a clever modification of Walker Judson’s hook-and-eye fastener. Sundback also invented some other clever devices. Such creativity we often refer to as “cleverness” as it displays an originality and departure from simple linear extrapolation. Thomas Edison was the quintessential inventor and extremely clever, though he probably lacked the high intelligence of Nikola Tesla who is widely regarded as a genius.
Genius
Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer best captured the difference between high intelligence and genius in his famous quote: Talent hits a target no one else can hit; genius hits a target no one else can see. Newton, Einstein, and Tesla are considered geniuses because they combined high intelligence with creativity and insight to hit targets that no one else saw. Newton developed the mathematics of rocket science while most humans thought that the sun and the planets were circling the earth. Einstein asserted that time is not absolute and reconceptualized Newton’s gravity as a “curvature” of space. Tesla recognized the superiority of alternating current over direct current and harnessed electrical power. All of these were targets that none of the other highly intelligent people could see.
Smartness
Smartness–what the Ancient Greeks called phronesis–is the vaguest of the these concepts because its measure is purely subjective. Generally, it’s referred to as “street smarts” or the ability to navigate through human relationships with some degree of skill. In the positive sense, it’s related to interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, often called “emotional intelligence.” In the negative sense, it’s associated with manipulative, or cunning Machivellian behavior.
As a recently unemployed executive explained, “Intelligence is knowing that seducing the boss’s wife, has a very large downside, while cleverness is seducing the boss’s wife after letting him know you have pictures of him with his mistress.” Unlike intelligence, cleverness is not necessarily a virtue.
For more information, including “wisdom,” visit: What’s the Difference between Intelligence, Wisdom and Cleverness? – Intelligence and IQ
