Elliott 1 Stacey Elliott Mrs.

Elliott English 111 24 September 2013 Intellect Intellect is a word with many different definitions. It has an everyday definition and a medical definition. Everybody has their own definition of intellect, and everybody's definition is probably a little bit different. Intellect is a word that is often misused and misinterpreted. People use the word on an everyday basis without even thinking about what the word actually means. Defining intellect is useful when it comes to understanding sources because it has many different definitions. Common misunderstandings of the word, intellect, are a result from vague dictionary definitions and people not knowing all the definitions. Sometimes when people see the word, intellect, they immediately think a very smart person, which is not necessarily true of the meaning, depending on how it is used in context. Also, inadequate thought processes and simplistic thinking of the term, intellect, can result in misunderstandings. Simplistic thinking includes jumping to conclusions, and defining the term with the definition that you are most familiar with. Inadequate thought processes include not thinking about how the term is used in the context. Dictionaries offer very vague definitions for the word intellect. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines intellect as the ability to think in a logical way or as a very smart person. The medical definition of intellect is defined as the power of knowing as distinguished from the power to feel and to will. In the medical field intellect involves the capacity for having intelligent

Elliott 2 and rational thoughts ("Intellect." Merriam). Intellect consists of four main parts in the medical field which include, cognitive knowledge, advanced skills, systems understanding, and selfmotivated creativity (An Academic). Intellect originated from the Latin word, intellectus and from intelligere. Intellectus and intelligere mean to understand ("Intellect." Merriam). Definitions like these can lead to misunderstandings themselves. The first time I saw the word, I immediately had the impression that intellect was defined as a very smart person. My first impression of the word involved a limited understanding. Limited understandings like this are a result from the way the term is defined by dictionaries. My personal definition of intellect is the ability to use careful thought processes to think abstractly about a subject. I do not define intellect as an intelligent person for a specific reason. A person can be very intelligent, but not have the ability to think theoretically about a subject. Being intelligent sometimes implies the fact that your intellect is well developed, but that is not always true. A person's intellect is not well developed if they think at a practical level, even if they are very intelligent. Intellect is about how people think and acquire knowledge, not about how intelligent they are. Intellect refers to the faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands, as distinguished from that by which one feels or wills. Intellect clearly refers to what a person knows and understands about a subject, not what a person feels or thinks about a subject. A person who thinks they understand has a lower intellect than a person who actually understands. A persons intellect is higher and more developed, if they know or understand something about a specific subject ("Intellect." Dictionary).

Elliott 3 Understanding intellect as the ability to learn and reason is a better approach than understanding intellect as an intelligent person. When intellect is defined as the ability to learn and reason, there are fewer errors in understanding the word. If one defines intellect as an intelligent person, they are likely to confuse the term with intellectual. People often use intellectual and intellect interchangeably. They think that these two terms have the same definition and mean the same thing, but they do not. Intellectual is defined as a person who has a highly developed intellect, where as intellect is the ability to use careful thought processes. Intellectual implies a person who enjoys serious study and thought, while intellect implies using the serious thought process. Intellectual refers to a person, while intellect refers to thought process, understanding, and knowledge. People usually connect the term, intellect, with thinking, intelligence, knowledge, discernment, and brilliance. Sometimes, the ability to discriminate or distinguish can be connected to intellect. Like many people, I have misused and misunderstood the word intellect. Throughout studying the word intellect, I have learned that there are many definitions for the word. If one took the time to ask one hundred different people to define intellect, they would probably get one hundred different answers. I have learned that the meaning of intellect depends on how it is used in context.

Elliott 4 Works Cited "Intellect." Dictionay.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. Lewis, James E. "An Academic Medical Centers Professional Intellect Is an Asset." KevinMD.com. medpageToday, 31 March 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/03/academic-medical-centers-professionalintellect-asset.html>. "Intellect." Merriam-Webster. n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. "Intellect." Vocabulary.com. n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.