Caius
Posts: 175
Joined: 2/2/2005
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I should preface this by saying I'm not trying to tear down the question in general, as I think it's genuinely an interesting line of thought, but in a sense it's also a nonsensical one. As someone with a deep background in cognitive science, I think I've gotten to the point that any time people begin trying to apply a metric to intelligence, in any context, I mentally prepare myself for this little caveat. The fact of the matter is, intelligence is not a linear spectrum; the human mind is capable of a vast array of different capabilities and human beings vary not so much in overall capability (afterall, baring impairment from disease, injury, or hindered development, we all have a fairly equal amount of neural hardware in the cognitive areas of the brain) as they do in how certain tasks are prioritized in their brains. Further, there are some people with astonishing intelligence that often goes overlooked because they are not well-equipped at sharing the concepts that come so naturally to them. All of which is an overblown way to say that there are many, many forms of intelligence, and values of one over another tend to be highly subjective. The idea of an aggregate intelligence score, such as those provided by I.Q. tests, are not looked upon well by modern researchers and theorists of the mind, being holdovers from a much earlier era when much of the most dubious science of the mind was created (and owing their creation in no small part to racist and misogynist philosophies that they were originally often used to supposedly validate).
That being said, we all have our own concept of what constitutes a "practical" intelligence. Personally, for the reasons above, I don't dwell on the question so much. I've been with submissive women who would surely qualify as "brilliant" by most people's standards and others who wouldn't stand out. I like both varieties, honestly, same as the fact that I like both calm and wild girls in their own way (or, as they present as subs, docile and feisty, respectively). In my opinion, the thing you really have to be concerned about is not differences in intellect but rather your partner's perception of such. Because while perceiving a top as more intelligent could cause healthy respect and a reinforcement of the D/s dynamic for some bottoms, in others it can lead to self doubt and an inferiority complex. I'll also say that, in my experience, submissives who perceive themselves as intelligent will often be more likely to test boundaries, attempt to top from the bottom or otherwise manipulate; but I don't think that's controversial nor particularly unexpected. Of course, luckily the prescribed response is the same whether she's a dullard or a genius - employ a sharp lesson that any submissive can remember. ;)
< Message edited by Caius -- 4/25/2012 7:17:11 AM >
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