3rd PART
"MEDITATION"
CHAPTER IV
"FUNCTIONS OF THE INTELLIGENCE"
What is intelligence? We can synthesize considering some of their effects:
- Adaptation capacity to the environment;
- Capacity of practical application of the acquired knowledge;
- Capacity to react according to the demands of the moment, in agreement with the movement of forces of the environment in which we are inserted. There are no rules for the behavior; only the intelligence can adapt. It is a harmonious resultant between knowledge and action, in other words, conscious action.
The intelligence is exempted of impulsive emotions and of prejudices, she is impartial. In the field of the emotion, she maintains the sensibility for what is good and beautiful.
It is very frequent to confuse the memory with the intelligence. The person can have fabulous memory and not to be intelligent and, on the contrary, she cannot have very clear memory and to be highly intelligent because she incorporates the knowledge and she reacts with wisdom.
A great misunderstanding exists in relation to the tests of Q.I. They give the level of attention, observation, concentration and memory, therefore, of the mental components, but they don't answer for the dynamics of the intelligence, in other words, for the capacity to exercise the functions of the intelligence that are:
1. To proceed to a critical analysis; to have capacity of discernment and being capable to say if he agrees, or if he doesn't agree, and why, using solid arguments and not only emotional ones, as: "because I don't like"; "because it is immoral" etc.
2. To do questions - what, why, how, where, when. This is exactly the mechanism of the maieutic of Socrates' philosophy and that means the "art of giving birth" to that which is placed internally; it is the childbirth of the ideas. To direct the thought, through a series of questions, in way that we can discover the truths that are inside of the own person, but that don't show clearly to our conscious.
Note that the "why" can only be answered by intuition. The mind stores knowledge, but the wisdom is in the superior conscience, linked to the spirit. The mind answers to what, how, where, when, that provoke relative answers, but only the intuition answers "why", since the answers raise information regarding transcendent causes.
3. To notice the purpose, the objective of the ideas, of the processes, of the conclusions, naturally still inside of the philosophical land.
4. To get to identify the usefulness of the things, of the objects, of the ideas.
5. To verify the applicability, the practicability, being capable to take out the best advantage of the things and of the ideas, in other words, activating the creativity.
6. To know to elaborate a scale of values, getting to determine the priorities.
7. Capacity to conclude inside of the understanding limit. Because of apprehending only part of the Truth, the conclusions will always be temporary.
8. To know to decide appropriately - to take a position.
The items 7 and 8 require the operation of all the previous ones.
FINAL CONCLUSION
If, having all these data, based through the experience of many, we get a balance physical, psychic and spiritual; we will have, as result of that great effort, reached the last purpose of this stage of our cosmic path - the stage of the terrestrial life.
They are words of Plotino (205-270 d.C.), Alexandrine philosopher:
"Enter inside of yourself and look. If you don't find you sufficiently beautiful, do as the statuary when sculpting a statue. He cuts here, smoothers there, he gives more nimbleness to this line, he turns that one purer, and until that the whole is beautiful. Do as the statuary, cut what is excessive, straighten what is crooked, and bring for the light that which is in the shadow; do, finally, that the beauty shines in every part of you.
Don't never cease of chiseling the statue. Persist in your Work until you see her to shine with all the divine splendor of the virtue."