Glass Boxes are Dumb

To those who want to beat the shit out of the glass box with a hammer,

It’s pretty common to think that because you’re a shitty student, you’re automatically some dumbass. I blame that on humanity’s glass box. 

We sometimes make the assumption that our brain is limited, often through the means of calling ourselves “idiots who can’t do simple algebra”, or denoting our ability to function as human beings. This measurement of one’s “mental capacity”, however, can be redefined as our own limiting factor: one that limits individuals and society as a whole.

We base the measurement of how intelligent somebody is typically through their academic performance or knowledge on certain topics, such as politics, science, etc. Or rather, we measure their intelligence by simply administering an IQ test. But, who is to say that either of these options is an accurate reflection of someone’s “intellectual capacity”? Alternatively, who’s to say that our idea of intelligence is real whatsoever? 

Questioning most of society’s attributes (or honestly anything at all --- we’re both very skeptical human beings) is probably Raina and I’s talent (based on the assumption that “talent” isn’t futile). And frankly, the idea that certain individuals are more intelligent than others is one that I find extremely difficult to believe.

The One Hand: If You’re Under a 4.0, You’re Probably Not Smart

Firstly, the basis of whether someone is intelligent or not is -- for lack of better words -- bullshit. Parents/teachers/students/anyone who determine one’s value or mental capacity through their grades don’t seem to recognize a very simple fact: grades are not a reflection of one’s potential, or “intellect”. Rather, grades are a reflection of one’s access to educational tools, organization, etc. And a majority of these characteristics are not a reflection of one’s potential.

Access to educational tools is generally dependent on one’s economic background. Whether you go to a low-income school or not can truly influence one’s academic performance. And when we’re creating an assumption of intelligence based on a GPA, we’re truly just equating “stupidity” to low socioeconomic status.

This idea that there are certain “smart people subjects” is mind boggling. We find people who are more informed on science, politics, math --- i.e: the more “academic” subjects --- to be more intelligent than those who prosper in their day to day AP art class, or alternatively, their chorus class, or whatever fuck else we consider to be less “academic”. But alas! That is not the truth! What a revelation. 

I dislike the word academic --- when in use as an adjective, at least. In fact, I dislike the entire idea of intelligence. Because by measuring intelligence, we limit our growth; both as individuals and as a society. 

The truth is that by believing only a selective handful of students whom prosper in our “big brained classes” are intelligent, we completely limit the entirety of our student body. We tell the maybe-not-so-mathematically-talented people that they’re hopeless, and the math gods that they’re absolute geniuses, resulting in half of the group to (potentially) give up, opting to believe that they cannot learn, and the other half to (potentially) become egotistical bastards that believe they have nothing left to learn. Both situations: not ideal. Tisk tisk, education system. You’re ruining some of us. 

The Other Hand: The IQ Test, a Completely Accurate Measurement of True Intelligence

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to: the IQ test. A method that was created over a century ago based on the Binet-Simon scale, that was denounced by its OWN CREATOR for being inaccurate considering it only attempts to assess logistics (which can be affected by one’s educational background) rather than emotional intelligence and other factors of the human psyche. Binet was 10/10 a troll for creating a test that some seem to take as gospel despite knowing it was inaccurate. 

Regardless, to put a numerical value on something so abstract such as the concept of human intelligence is just one of the many examples of humanity’s self-imposed limitations. Bravo, humans! We live inside of a figurative glass box, and yet we have egos the size of the Milky Way itself. 

Humans have consistently showcased habitual limitation within every aspect of society. We assign numbers to people’s intelligence; in fact, the very existence of numbers and the inconceivable infinity showcases habitual limitation. We deem potential science as impossible, and throw money at short-term gratifications rather than investing in the long-term. We think in three dimensions, and only visualize a certain array of colors (probably not the fault of humans, but you get what I’m throwing down.) Our entire way of thinking is limited by our own biology and human experience, because the reality is that we can only truly contemplate reality through the human perspective. 

And to decide that the value of human intelligence can be boiled down to one singular number, or even measured whatsoever? That’s possibly one of the most human things I’ve ever heard --- to take something that is very evidently so abstract, and attempt to rationalize it without realizing the drawbacks of such simplification. 

Because our idea of intelligence is purely based on humanity’s perception, and human perception is generally subjective based on each individual, and inherently limited. But, how can you truly measure such a thing? How do you measure this clusterfuck compilation that we’ve labelled intelligence? 

The worst part about the IQ test, or measuring intelligence based off of GPA is that people hold these numbers to being their value as a person, which is oh-so clearly not the case. A person who scores low on the IQ test may find themselves defeated and unmotivated to try. A person who scores high may find themselves overcome with egotistical thoughts, where they begin thinking they know everything. Thusly, we find that even the scores become limitations on individuals. Another tisk tisk, but this time, towards humanity as a whole.

I don’t believe that this concept of each person having a specific mental capacity, and that mental capacity being differentiated based on the individual, is real. I think that idea was a result of humanity’s limitational bullshit. Generally, every single person has the same potential (I would suggest that it is limitless, however, we know that biologically, that is incorrect considering we can only experience reality through human eyes, which is only one perspective). We all can become the Albert Einstein of our generation, or a Richard Feynman --- people who are regarded as intelligent by society --- through educational means, and by putting the effort in. The difference between people is whether or not one wants to put the effort in, or whether someone has the opportunity to put the effort in at all. 

So, don’t let this glass box that humanity has built limit you. It’s damn glass, so I know you can see the horizons that lie before you. Your GPA does not define your potential, nor does an IQ test. The idea of intelligence is too abstract to measure, and may honestly just be a byproduct of the human psyche --- an illusion. 

Take a hammer and whack that glass box hard. I don’t even like glass. 

Sincerely, 

A livid Nicole at 11:45PM whom really would like to restructure the entire American educational system.