Editorial May 11, 2015 Issue

The intelligence that meets humanity’s needs

David C. Kennedy

A recent editorial in The Christian Science Monitor examined an important question: “As productivity slows, experts ask if an era of innovation is over. Has the digital revolution lost its juice?”

The editorial by the Monitor’s Editorial Board—“Finding ‘the next big thing,’ ” in the February 11, 2015, issue—is important because of the effect that the ups and downs in productivity and innovation have on humanity’s welfare. But it’s of interest also because of the deeper questions this issue poses about life itself and the intelligence that supports it—questions that affect all of us. As the editorial insightfully concluded: “Technology still drives change, but change first starts in intelligence and other qualities of thought. Measuring those is not as easy as measuring economic productivity. And yet they matter more.”

So, what is the intelligence that produces all that’s helpful to life? Is the essence of it found in education? There have been self-made people who have made major contributions to society with less education than many of us have. Going deeper with this question, though—is intelligence really even found in matter? Do brain cells, for example, have the intelligence to ignite creative activity, improve our daily living, provide for our needs, and move humanity forward to farther, broader horizons?

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