Australian Space Academy
Intelligence is not a well defined concept and means different things in different contexts. There is not a single accepted defintion of intelligence. In spite of this people continue to
try and measure intelligence. The problem would become even more acute if we were to encounter another civilisation from another part of the universe.
The following three definitions of intelligence give us a basis on which to discuss the concept of intelligence.
From WIKIPEDIA:
"Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as the ability to perceive or infer information and to retain it as knowledge to be applied to adaptive behaviors within an environment or context."
From BRITANNICA:
"Human intelligence: mental quality that consists of the abilities to learn from experience, adapt to new situations, understand and handle abstract concepts, and use knowledge to manipulate one's environment."
From SIMPLY PSYCHOLOGY
"Intelligence in psychology refers to the mental capacity to learn from experiences, adapt to new situations, understand and handle abstract concepts, and use knowledge to manipulate one’s environment. It includes skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, learning quickly, and understanding complex ideas."
Note that Wikipedia does not restrict the definition to humans whereas Britannica specifically addresses only human intelligence. The third definition introduces the concept of skills.
The problem comes when one tries to measure intelligence and the reason for this is that applied intelligence, which is inevitably what one measures is related to prior experience, memory and recall. Experience in turn is related to education and exposure to a diversity of situations.
The measurement of intelligence can only be done through language. A being with a very good memory and fast recall, and with a vast diversity of experience will obviously do better in intelligence tests than someone with less education and exposure to fewer experiences. It thus becomes difficult to separate intelligence from enviroment and education. The abstract concept of inherent intelligence is not really something that can be tested.
If we did encounter an extraterrestrial race the problem can only be resolved by testing abilities, not inherent qualities. In such situations it is more the ability of the race rather than the ability of an individual that really has a meaning.
Australian Space Academy