People like to feel smart. I do. You probably do too.
But why?
Feeling smart is pleasurable.
It makes us feel more valuable and important.
It makes us feel right.
Feeling wrong makes us feel terrible and it’s likely the source of angry arguments at dinner parties and on social media.
Feeling smart gives us pride; for the work that we do and the effort invested into becoming more educated.
Feeling smart motivates us to want to feel smart again.
But, what does it actually mean to BE smart?
How does one go beyond their delusional perceptions of just feeling smart?
What is the public perception of smart?
Is there a gap between public perception and objective “smartness”? (Is that even a word??)
Is a smart individual an educated person who can recite what they learned?
Is a smart individual someone who has a degree at a high paying job?
Is a smart individual someone who is skilled at their job?
Is a smart individual someone who is successful at achieving their goals?
What does “smart” mean?
Dictionary.com’s definition of smart is “having or showing a quick-witted intelligence”.
But I think the public perception of smart is more closely related to “intelligence”.
Intelligence is defined as “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.”
For someone to be highly intelligent and considered “smart”, that person should be able to acquire and apply knowledge and skills in such a way that makes them successful at achieving a particular objective.
Therefore, I will break down intelligence into 3 categories:
- Knowledge – foundational data and informational inputs
- Application – ability to process and apply those inputs
- Achievement – ability to successfully execute inputs to achieve a desired objective
One cannot achieve success without application of knowledge, and application of knowledge is impossible without actual knowledge itself.
Knowledge = Data
In our modern age, to acquire knowledge is not that difficult. We have so much data about the world; thanks to Google. But having data alone isn’t enough. The data must be accurate.
But for data to be accurate, due diligence is needed. For due diligence, we need questions; for questions, curiosity; and for curiosity, healthy self-doubt; and for healthy self-doubt, humility.
The challenge that we often face when confirming actual knowledge (aka “accurate data”) is our conviction for our perception of knowledge is just as strong as having actual knowledge. So this perception often causes us to mistake perceived knowledge from actual knowedge.
Application = Processing
To apply knowledge, we use a combination of heuristics (mental shortcuts) and logic.
I see logic as a effective, validated, and standardized form of a heuristic.
As much as wrong inputs lead to wrong outputs, we can have the right inputs and wrong logic and get wrong outputs.
Imagine us doing a math problem on a calculator:
• 2578 – 372 = 2206
• We input the first 2578 correctly, accidentally press the plus key instead of minus, and input the 372 correctly.
• Our computation ends up being 2578 + 372 which gives us 2950.
The inputs were correct, but the processing logic was incorrect.
Similarly in real life, when we apply the knowledge we have, the process in which we apply the knowledge should be refined and accurate for successful execution.
Achievement = Desired Result
With accurate inputs and processing, we achieve a result.
But that’s not where it ends.
It’s not that easy.
If it was, would life be any fun and fulfilling?
We need consistent achievement of results to achieve a larger objective.
Think about it like this:
Desired result x Number of repetitions = Achievement of Objective
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