there is no objective definition of intelligence, and what we call intelligence is only a creation of cultural fashion and subjective prejudice, what the devil is it we test when we make use of an intelligence test?" - Meaning and context.">
"Thinking About Thinking" in Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1975

If, as I maintain and firmly believe, there is no objective definition of intelligence, and what we call intelligence is only a creation of cultural fashion and subjective prejudice, what the devil is it we test when we make use of an intelligence test?

— Isaac Asimov

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "If, as I maintain and firmly believe, there is no objective definition of intelligence, and what we call intelligence is only a creation of cultural fashion and subjective prejudice, what the devil is it we test when we make use of an intelligence test?" in the context of ""Thinking About Thinking" in Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 1975" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Isaac Asimov" (Quotes, General sources, 1971–1980) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Isaac Asimov

About Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov (c. 2 January 1920 – 6 April 1992) was a Russian-born American biochemist who was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, his works include the Foundation series and I, Robot.