While it is impossible to change one's genetic endowments, it is certainly possible to change one's behavioral patterns so as to maximize those endowments and, thus, gain intelligence in that sense. The question of intellectual amplification is easy to answer, and the answer depends entirely on what one means by intelligence. If one means a genetic endowment, then the answer is negative. However, if one means the product of behavioral patterns, then the answer is affirmative. There should be no dispute regarding the latter interpretation.
The next question might be: "How does behavior boost intelligence?" Behavior is very briefly defined as how one acts, and a majority of one's actions become unconscious after having been learned. Tying shoelaces or buttoning a shirt are examples of automatic processes or patterns. When one asks if one can boost intelligence, one is, for all practical purposes, asking if one can maximize one's cognitive abilities to learn and remember. It is possible to learn behavioral patterns that allow one to do so unconsciously and, thus, constantly. And, constant practice provides constant improvement.
Learning is tied to memory in that learning implies retention and recall to demonstrate comprehension, but each of these abilities requires distinctly different behavioral patterns. Learning requires that one focus on the subject of one's interest, thereby revealing two requirements, interest and concentration. Learning also requires that one associate new thoughts and ideas to those previously learned, thus, revealing two more requirements, association and prior learning. There may be more requirements, but, for now, it will be helpful to understand how these four abilities work together to promote learning.
First, one must have an interest in what one learns. This may seem redundant to mention, but the important point of acknowledging this requirement is that one must realize that the depth of one's interest largely determines the breadth of one's learning. One must maintain an active interest in a subject to facilitate the process of absorption, and this can be achieved only by maintaining an interest in learning for the sake of learning. It is not enough to learn for a specific purpose if one wishes to maximize one's cognitive abilities. A specific purpose must be coupled with an overall passion for learning.
This leads to the second requirement, concentration. To remain interested in a subject, one must concentrate on it for a given span of time, unique to one's learning curve. Concentration can only be achieved by immersing oneself in what might be called the conceptual realm of that subject via an active imagination. The conceptual realm is composed of all of that subject's parts as well as parts of related subjects that impact the specific purpose of one's learning process.
This leads to the third requirement for learning, association. Association is the mental process of finding connections between seemingly disparate thoughts and ideas. Association allows a wide, complex array of what might be called cognizant manifolds, composed of many sets of related conceptual realms, and a deep well of interrelated knowledge from which to draw for future association. Association is the key to learning in that new information must be conceptually related to old information to be processed and understood.
Finally, association implies prior learning. Prior learning accrues by applying all four of these requirements to a greater or lesser degree. This is achieved by practicing them until they operate without conscious effort. It follows that the practice of maximizing one's abilities to learn and remember increases one's ability to maximize, which accelerates learning and retention.
In short, here are the four previously mentioned requirements of learning, their functions, and their means of actualization via behavioral patterns:
REQUIREMENT -> FUNCTION -> BEHAVIORAL PATTERN
1. INTEREST IN SUBJECT -> ABSORPTION -> PASSION FOR LEARNING
2. CONCENTRATION -> INTEREST MAINTENANCE -> COMPLETE IMMERSION IN CONCEPTUAL REALM
3. ASSOCIATION -> ACCRUAL OF COGNIZANT MANIFOLDS -> SCRUTINY OF INTERRELATIONSHIPS
4. PRIOR LEARNING -> FUTURE LEARNING -> HABITUATION OF THESE REQUIREMENTS
Suppose, for example, that one wishes to learn to play the piano. Attending to these requirements, one begins at a more abstract level by developing a strong interest in music, its history, its movements, its theoretical underpinnings, and, of course, its masters and makers. Learning all of this will take time, but one is advised not to remain inactive while learning. On the contrary, learning is best achieved when actively pursued, and, given that one's goal in this case is to play the piano, which requires a very active process to achieve an active goal, learning is quickly advanced by simultaneously learning about music while learning how to play it. And, in fact, learning to play the piano is nothing other than learning about the piano itself as a medium of producing music.
To immerse oneself in the conceptual realm of piano playing, one should listen to as many musical compositions played on the piano as possible while one learns how to play. This will enable one's mind to reach the third requirement for learning, association, by giving one a flood of possible note combinations to achieve different harmonic effects. By simultaneously listening to someone play the piano and learning to play the piano, one is given maximum exposure to associative possibilities, and learning is bound to accelerate in such an environment.
If one is new to the world of playing musical instruments, then one would not have an experience commensurate with playing the piano, like playing the guitar or the violin. However, if this is so, then one might imagine one's favorite songs and use one's memory of them to reproduce them. If this poses an unreasonable challenge or one does not feel inclined to try, then one can develop them via creative modification.
Or, suppose a person wishes to learn the names of all U.S. presidents. One might start by reading about U.S. history, or even world history, to obtain an accurate perspective of native governance over the past two centuries. One might visit a local library and read old newspaper and magazine archives if they are available to uncover past events and perspectives. If feasible, one might venture across the U.S. to visit cultural landmarks related to government, like a president's birthplace or an old fort.
Once immersed in U.S. history, one might proceed by reading the biographies of past presidents to gain a first- or second-hand perspective of their lives and the cultural dynamics, from local to global, surrounding and influencing them. This will soon, in turn, grant one an effortless ability to recall the chronological order of these presidents, because one will have by then developed an extensive knowledge of relevant historical events and their interrelationships. Furthermore, one may develop a better appreciation for present and future events as well as idiosyncrasies commonly found within the hallowed walls of U.S. government institutions.
In conclusion, intelligence can be increased if one adheres to the aforementioned requirements of learning. While one may not be able to alter one's genetic endowments, one can alter one's behavioral patterns to maximize one's intellectual potential. By developing a passion for learning, immersing oneself in the conceptual realm of one's focus, developing useful associations, and allowing habituation to accelerate future learning goals, one can in effect become a more intelligent person.
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