"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and retain the ability to function." .
F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Many human characteristics have an inherited component, skin color, physique, facial features, weight, special talent, but can intelligence also be considered an inherited trait? As numerous studies have clearly shown, heredity and environment are interacting in the development of intelligence. There are some people that are very intelligent, some people less so, but most of us will have a similar level of intellectual potential. This will manifest itself in different ways, as some will develop an interest in music, others in science, and many will not have any specific intellectual interests. As with physical attributes, the extent to which intellectual capacities develop, and in what direction will be greatly influenced by the environment in which parents and peers are a major influence.
I will focus on intelligence quotient (IQ) as an inherited trait and the influence of environmental factors. For over a century, scientists and psychologists have continuously pursued the relative powers of how heredity and environment influences the development of intelligence. To believe that intelligence is inborn and one can do little to alter their intellectual birthright is nonsense. No one is born without intelligence and every individual must develop their intellectual capability based on their environment. .
There is a general consensus among the population that intelligence refers to overall general mental capability to reason, solve problems, think, learn, and understand new material, and benefit from past experiences in order to make rapid and appropriate decisions. Intelligence can be thought of as a sort of mental fitness, a potential which will in part be determined by inherited components, coupled with experiences which influences how that potential develops.