What is intelligence?

I would like to say from layman's point of view. I feel human intelligence has to do with one's ability to grasp a subject by getting the zest of it and who is a quick learner, understands faster, likes to have his independent opinion on the topic and can see the other side of the picture. Is able to find solution to problems faster than most on topics that interest him. can think on his feet, has good commons sense which is not common. Can apply logic and adapt to situations with his thinking.

Intelligence differs from one perspective to another. One can be intelligent with some particular things. Intelligence , I would say, is defined to be..Intelligence is measured in not what you know but what you have experienced in life. With this, you also have wisdom.

Intelligence is a property of mind that encompasses many related mental abilities, such as the capacities to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language, and learn. In common parlance, the term smart, metaphorically used is frequently the synonym of situational and behavioral (i.e. observed and context dependent) intelligence. Although many regard the concept of intelligence as having a much broader scope, for example in cognitive science and computer science, in some schools of psychology, the study of intelligence generally regards this trait as distinct from creativity, personality, character, or wisdom. Definitions of intelligence At least two major "consensus" definitions of intelligence have been proposed. First, from Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns, a report of a task force convened by the American Psychological Association in 1995: Individuals differ from one another in their ability to understand complex ideas, to adapt effectively to the environment, to learn from experience, to engage in various forms of reasoning, to overcome obstacles by taking thought. Although these individual differences can be substantial, they are never entirely consistent: a given person’s intellectual performance will vary on different occasions, in different domains, as judged by different criteria. Concepts of "intelligence" are attempts to clarify and organize this complex set of phenomena. A second definition of intelligence comes from "Mainstream Science on Intelligence", which was signed by 52 intelligence researchers in 1994: 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. It is not merely book learning, a narrow academic skill, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings—"catching on", "making sense" of things, or "figuring out" what to do (reprinted in Intelligence Gottfredson, 1997, p. 13).