Sir Patrick Moore
Astronomer

The question “what is intelligence?” is not easy to answer. It is not a case of pure scholarship; for real intelligence you have to see what lies beyond. Not everyone can do this. To show what I mean, you have only to look at some leading politicians of today. They are conventionally intelligent, otherwise they would not have risen to top positions. Yet looked at broadly they are unutterably stupid. Scholarship and intelligence do not go together, which is why this question is difficult.

Dame Wendy Hall
Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton

I don’t equate intelligence with cleverness. I think people who are intelligent have a touch of humanity about them. Their ideas, insight and vision set them apart from others, but they also have an understanding of what makes the world tick and how their ideas can impact for the greater good. Interestingly, as the World Wide Web has evolved so has the concept of collective intelligence, which is best encapsulated in the evolution of Wikipedia. This is a new form of intelligence that could lead to new insights into our understanding of the key challenges that face us as an increasingly global society.

John Humphrys
Journalist and Mastermind presenter

It may be easier to say what intelligence is not. It’s not being quick-witted and articulate. If it were, politicians would probably be the most intelligent. It’s not knowing lots of stuff. If it were, the Mastermind champion would be the brightest. And it’s not even being wise, which calls for experience. So maybe it’s being able to see the flaw in every argument — especially your own.

Antony Beevor
Historian

There are probably as many different definitions of intelligence as there are of beauty. Some definitions can be mutually exclusive. For example, a brilliant Asperger type of numeracy is unlikely to go with emotional intelligence. Others are interlinked, such as mathematical and scientific intelligence, which so often go with musical gifts. We now have become aware that children with learning difficulties, who in the past would have been written off as of low intelligence, can astonish everyone with talents later, as businessmen or artists. In short, we still know so little about the human brain and its development that all pigeon-holeing should be avoided at all costs.

Anne Robinson
Broadcaster and TV presenter

Intelligence is easy enough to recognise, but more difficult to define. The most critical attribute of an intelligent person is the ability to think quickly, laterally and recognise when someone is talking nonsense. Beyond that, I can only add that intelligence combined with a sharp wit makes even the ugliest bloke seem dangerously sexy.

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