Jay wrote:
uziq wrote:
Jay wrote:
Memory is usually a sign of intelligence
being able to retain trivia is impressive in bars and pub quizzes but not generally a sign of intelligence, which involves applying knowledge in dynamic ways.
ditto being able to cram for an exam and practice rote memorisation doesn't mean you'll be able to problem solve or think analytically. memory in itself is not that useful without critical skills and processes of selectivity. what you get is ferocious autists with eidetic memory who are good for tv specials.
Sure, but if you have a good memory it helps with analogies and connections. You can't apply past knowledge if you can't remember it.
The thing that precipitated my post was some problem at work where I remembered some semi-obscure part of our SOPs that we could use in our situation that was somewhat similar to a different problem a couple years ago. It's just irksome to me when people say "How can you remember that?" in situations where I'm like "how can you not?!" It's like some people just don't learn from their experiences.
I concur with Zeek though about the difference. To me, it's like how my uncles all remember every player who has ever been on a sports team, but that's nothing impressive that you would consider "intelligent", though a lot of people I run into fail to make that distinction.