It's a question that CS has struggled with for decades and I haven't heard anyone give a compelling definition, certainly not one that could be tested with any confidence.
I was refering to the 'general intelligence' that is an attribute of human beings, what iq tests measure basically.[2][3]
It is a matter that has undergone much study since the early 20th century, and there is indeed agreement on what it is among those who study it.[4]
certainly not one that could be tested with any confidence.
Why so certain? It can indeed be tested and has been. Taking intelligence to mean 'ability to deal with complexity,' and taking something complex like say, life on earth, people with higher IQs on average make more money, and live longer. Not to say the amount of money one makes is wholly indicative of successful living of course, but it can be used as a rough proxy since it is something many people seek to do in the complex environment that is Earth and the Universe.
Also, I think the ability to 'live sucessfully' and to find out what doing so entails is an ability spread evenly throughout the population.
[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence
[2]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_factor_(psychometrics) [3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient
[4]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstream_Science_on_Intellige...
If you accept that certain jobs[1] to be performed at a worthwhile level require a certain degree of general intelligence, or at the very least, the vast majority of people performing certain jobs have a measurable general intelligence above a certain level, and you accept that things like general intelligence, height, and other observable, measurable phenotypic traits of a species occur on a more or less normal('bell-curve') distribution, two things that are pretty much taken as a given outside the PC deluded, "I love me some outrage!," "Wow, just wow." crowd, then there is your answer. Is it not?
You might think you're doing good for the world by saying 'everyone is equally capable,' but you'll probably have more success in doing good for the world by understanding the world as it presents itself upon clear-eyed observation.
[1]"Software is an IQ business." -Bill Gates