The difference between intellect and intelligence?

Question

I have gone through this question so many times in the past, but I still have a hard time understanding! =/

An intelligent person doesn't necessarily have to be intellectual, right? Is it the same the other way round too? I was told of a very intelligent person who had no intellect... what does this mean?

Answer 1

i think what you're asking is can someone have intellectual interests and be dumb?  and can someone be highly intelligent and have no intellectual interests at all?  of course.

Someone can be quite bright and only want to watch reality TV, and someone can love reading philosophy and history and have no way to tie any of it together in their weak brain.

Answer 2

Intellect: drawing up an elaborate plan

Intelligence: deciding whether to carry that plan out.

Answer 3

Intellect requires intelligence.

Intelligence does not necessarily mean intellect.

Answer 4

Intellect is the minds capacity of knowledge and reason.  Intelligence is the practical manifestation of knowledge to think in complex and pioneering ways.   At its simplest, intellect is knowing a lot of things, where intelligence is more about putting knowledge to use in an innovative, analytical, and practical ways.  

Some people certainly have high intellect but low intelligence or perhaps vice versa.  People who are highly successful on game shows such as "Jeopardy" demonstrate high intellect, because of the breadth of their knowledge.  However, their intelligence may not be obvious even though they have a broad knowledge.  I am not sure if Donald Trump is very knowledgeable about business (he relies on experts a lot), but he has very high intelligence in decision making and problem solving business opportunities to achieve his broad goals.  

Here is another example: someone who cites extensive historical examples to prove a point might have high intellect due to their knowledge, however if ultimately their conclusion is misguided, they have low intelligence.  Meanwhile, someone who can imagine and create a great work of art without being shown historical references possesses creative intelligence (the great renaissance artists for example).  I recently heard of an ordinary man on "60 minutes" who without an M.D. degree, invented what is being called the most substantial advancement in cancer research in decades.  This man had pretty much no medical training but was able to draw upon his knowledge in other areas to produce a unique and substantial advancement in cancer research in ways doctors haven't been able to do.  That is an excellent example of low knowledge but high intelligence.

Of course, the ideal is to have both high intellect and high intelligence.  In my opinion, one can improve their intellect by learning throughout their lifetime.  Surely you know more now than you did 5 years ago.  Intelligence can be increased as well through training but it is also a combination of environment (life experiences, learning how to train your mind, etc.) and genes (some people simply have a greater capacity to think in amazing ways).  You can increase your intellegence, but the degree to how much this can be done is probably in your genes + history.

Answer 5

See any good dictionary, including those on line. Here's a link to one: http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Answer 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellect

They're the same. I think what you mean is the difference between wisdom and intelligence.