What is intelligence? This may sound like a straightforward question with a straightforward answer — the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “a capacity to understand” — but that definition itself raises an increasingly relevant question in the modern world. What happens if the extent to which we can practically apply that capacity is diminishing? Evidence is mounting that something exactly like this has been happening to the human intellect over the past decade or so.
什么是智力?这听起来像是一个有着简单答案的简单问题——《牛津英语词典》(Oxford English Dictionary)将其定义为“理解的能力”——但这个定义本身在现代世界中引发了一个越来越相关的问题。如果我们实际应用这种能力的程度正在减弱,会发生什么?越来越多的证据表明,在过去十年左右的时间里,人类智力正经历着这样的变化。