The Biological Basis of Intelligence. Part I: Theory

Abstract

Scientific concepts originate in many cases as common semantic constructs used in our everyday languages. Thus, a child could ask his mother, ‘Why do things fall to the floor when I let go of them’, and be told, ‘Because of the force of gravity, my dear’. Some hundreds of years ago, her answer would have been,’ Because all heavy objects fall, my dear’. The major difference between these two answers is merely semantic. If the modern child persists in asking his mother, ‘What is gravity?’, he will probably be told that, ‘It is the force that makes heavy objects fall to the floor’. A scientist might be able to add some further facts, mention the inverse square law, and discuss the relationship of mass to acceleration. Having done so, however, the scientist cannot provide a better answer to the question, ‘What is gravity?’, apart from noting that it is a term used to describe a class of related phenomena.