Minimal Intelligence

The extent to which humans are collectively referred to as intelligent has been greatly exaggerated.  Yes, intelligence is nothing other than comprehending the laws of logic, and it takes some degree of rationality to realize on any level, even on a very vague and philosophically unexamined one, that some concepts follow from others and that one must exist when one perceives anything at all; nevertheless, none of this counts as actual philosophical knowledge because there has not even been an attempt to avoid assumptions, much less systematically understand one's existence.  A lack of active reasoning about philosophy beyond the practicalities of life many people do not even realize are philosophical [1] is an absence of potential intelligence.

No one can deserve credit for a baseline level of intelligence that they have no control over and that they have made no effort to understand or develop, and thus saying that all humans are "intelligent" can be a far more trivial statement than some imagine--depending on what is meant by it, of course.  All humans have the capacity for abstract, autonomous reasoning and deep introspection in the sense that it is logically possible for anyone to put some effort into explicitly rational thought and self-awareness even when it is not natural for some people.  However, not all people ever thoroughly analyze anything beyond how they can adapt to the values of their culture and how they can live practically.

The person who vaguely recognizes the laws of logic and the inescapable nature of their own consciousness has done nothing more than perceive that which it is impossible for a conscious being to not be forced to realize at least on an imprecise level.  It is one thing for random people to know on some level that a reality exists and that their own minds exist, but intentionally grasping, contemplating, and analyzing the basic logical facts that govern deduction and one's own consciousness is another thing completely.  Only the latter is worth applauding for its reflection of an individual's intellect.

It is no intellectual triumph when a person grasps the self-evident nature of reason and consciousness without consciously, purposefully recognizing their self-evidence when they have gone years without using any of the daily opportunities to contemplate even basic parts of philosophy.  Indeed, it is a waste.  Neglecting sound epistemology and metaphysics for so long cannot legitimately be said to be a mark of intelligence!  The truth that follows is that very few people seem to put any effort at all into justifying anything about their worldviews and existences, but many people are quick to nod or express agreement when someone else complains about how "crazy" the masses are.  Without at least a grasp of intelligence, no one could understand that they are even thinking or having any other experience, but there is nothing to consider impressive about failing to go further than this.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2020/07/philosophy-lies-beneath-practicality.html