What makes an individual smart/clever/intelligent?

[ReggieFlare]

There's no one size fits all answer. If we're talking about book smarts then that's really easy to figure out. High GPA = smart. Low GPA = dumb. To me, you're smart, if you can do something better than me. I'm an undergrad, and to me the grad students I occasionally encounter that can chug out mathematical proofs at the drop of a hat are pretty smart.

I'm sure once I get to grad school my whole perception of them will be refined.

Nah...I don't really agree with that. IMO, the biggest thing that GPA reflects is work ethic

 

[DrX]

idk...i respect street smarts more than book smarts...i know guys with Phds making 11 bucks an hour sitting in loan debt that get hustled by any and everybody

 

[b@squ1@t]

bein able to read people i.e. facial expressions and body movements moreso than language and responding accordingly

 

[Non Sequitur]

Its their actions. It don't matter how many books you read or what you know its all about what you do.

 

[ReggieFlare]

Truth is there are actually different types of intelligence.

Some people are good at recognizing patterns, some have very good reasoning ability, some are good at reading people, some people are masters with their body(think athlete), etc...That's why I always thought it was silly to put a label on who is intelligent and who isn't. Anyone who has a high aptitude in any given area is intelligent in some form to me.

EDIT: Here is a link that expands on what I'm saying: http://skyview.vansd.org/lschmidt/Projects/The Nine Types of Intelligence.htm