Intelligence…

A characteristic of live beings, which due to its very nature, aids in survival through understanding and/or utilization of resources presented to the being.

I will firstly try to explain the above definition which comes through my own understanding of intelligence. Intelligence is a characteristic of lifeforms. Lifeforms aim at survival and this is the property that lets them. What does this property do? It gives them the ability to utilize resources for their survival; how much they understand this, is a matter of how developed that intelligence is.

So yes, trees are intelligent enough to survive though not enough to support abilities needed for mobility [maybe in future evolution might permit them to move].

Ents

Contextualizing it for human intelligence, is a task very well done by Dr. Howard Gardener. According to him, intelligence is

• a property of all human beings,
• a dimension on which human beings differ,
• the way in which one carries out a task in light of one’s goal.

He defines human intelligence in terms of an existential differentiating factor inherent in one and all.

Intelligence has always been one of the hardest subjects to be encountered in psychology, owing to the complexity shown by the human brain. What adds to it is the inter-connectivity of traits and functions performed.

Many theories arose with time, trying to explain and contextualize intelligence. The understanding started to be developed in two realms, namely qualitative and quantitative. Like all other domains, the need to find a measure to understand and quantify intelligence seemed quite natural; and so evolved the concept of Intelligence Quotient.