Is Human Intelligence Evolving?

As scientists continue to their research, fundamental questions about intelligence are brought to the surface.

What is intelligence exactly? Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills or “the ability to learn and understand things to

Gottfredson, (1997) stated that 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.

One of the preferred definitions by Dr Jenny Taylor, a clinical physiologist is that “intelligence is the ability for the organism to adapt itself to the environment in which it finds itself.” This is an extremely broad expression which could be applied to any living thing.

Nicholas Carr is the brilliant author of The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains. In the Shallows, Carr discusses the unassailable issue that many countries face today. Not only teenagers, but more and more adults as well, have been using technology more often than ever. Yes, almost everyone has a so-called “smart phone” in their pocket. But the question that is presented in this book is: Is the latest technology actually smart, or are the advanced systems just making us less intelligent?

In today’s modern world, recent scientific research has been conducted, which reveals that world-wide IQ test scores have risen, and continue to rise every year. In Alison Gopnik’s article, “Smarter Every Year? Mystery of the Rising IQs,” she discussed how these recent scientific discoveries relate to our society throughout the last century. It is evident that in our society a person’s level of intelligence is extremely important in our culture which is obsessed with being knowledgable. In her article, Gopnik addresses the historical evidence that supports the conclusion that people are getting smarter as the years go on because of today’s society. Gopnik effectively explains the fact that people’s IQs are rising every year, by using the results

whether intelligence has had a major increase over the past century. The data reviewed includes

Intelligence by definition is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014). However, many psychologists argue that there is no standard definition of ‘intelligence’, and there have been many different theories over time as psychologists try to find better ways to define this concept (Boundless 2013). While some believe in a single, general intelligence, others believe that intelligence involves multiple abilities and skills. Another largely debated concept is whether intelligence is genetically determined and fixed, or whether is it open to change, through learning and environmental influence. This is commonly known as the nature vs. nurture debate.

Life is evolution. Humans continuously try to keep up with the latest trends in an attempt to remain relevant in society. In the past ten years, humans have evolved immensely with the introduction, development, and integration of technology into their culture. Virtually everything can be found on the internet. Pictures and documents are being shared through cloud storage rather than being shared directly with a physical document, and doing homework online is now the norm. People have adapted to the new age, and those who have not adapted are being left behind--this is where the theory of natural selection meets modern cognitive science. Steven Pinker, the author of How The Mind Works, argues that the concept of natural selection is not as linear as society may think it is with today’s information. There is more to evolution than straightforward “survival of the fittest”. Using his background knowledge in cognitive science and the social sciences, Pinker links the biological approach to evolution with his cognitive science approach in an attempt to generate a new perspective to the theory of evolution. Steven Pinker supports his claim that the concept of natural selection is more than a simple biological adaptation, but rather a combination between biological adaptation and an adaptation to the “cognitive niche”, with historical observations, analogical evidence, and exploitation of archaeological evidence.

If I had asked you, “ Do you think that humans are still evolving?”, wWhat would you say? Well there’s only one answer and that answer is “yes”. Scientist have done studies that show that modern humans are still somehow evolving today. They have proof of this by our lactose tolerance, our brains, certain genes, and our teeth.

Abstract evolution has occurred in humans for millions of years; however, in a modern society many scientists and evolutionists are now debating whether or not it is still occurring, and if it follows the same rules. With all of the new technology humans have created, some experts believe that humans have essentially conquered nature, and no further evolutionary changes will occur. Still, others hold opposing views; some experts believe that evolution is still occurring, but modern societal advancements have changed the rules. These experts say that the changes in evolution are a result of recent medical advancements that allow doctors to perpetuate genes that would not have lasted years ago. Additionally, others maintain that evolution is

In conclusion, I must say that intelligence can certainly be considered a broad word. It is a word that has varying definitions depending on the source from which the definition comes. The reason for this seems to be because people

For many people, the definition of intelligence on an individual is that whom stand out based on their educational accomplishments,ability to perform a hard fast fast and efficiently, and clever remarks. For psychologists;however, a simple definition isn’t sufficient to come to an agreement of the definition of intelligence , hence their developed theories. Some of the contributors to theories are Charles Spearman and his theory of General Intelligence, Louis L. Thurstone and his theory of Primary Mental Abilities, Howard Gardner: Multiple Intelligences, and Robert Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence.

Since intelligence is a concept, there are no words that are able to completely explain the concept, but there are words that can give a general idea of the concept. Intelligence has three main facets that must be acknowledged before one can understand intelligence. Each facet is intertwined with another of the facets that each connect to create intelligence. The three facets are logic, growth, and emotion. The logic of intelligence allows one to solve problems in order to

People are adapting, and changing their approach of how they seek knowledge: From hours, and hours of researching in the library to find information, to a five-second research on the internet with a click of a button? In an ever-changing world, humans are evolving with the ease of technology. The google search engine allows the users to search anything with the tip of their fingers. The World Wide Web has billions of website with information. People can search anything they want to know about. The innovation of the Google search engine surpassed its competitors because of its sophisticated algorithm. Is the Google search engine changing the way we think? Some people believe Google is making people stupid because