"Who is Most Intelligent?"

(A Fable)

by Mark Thompson

Two men walked through the forest one day, discussing the nature of intelligence.  The forest beasts overheard them, and decided to hold a congress to decide which among them was most intelligent.  Their first order of business was to settle on a criterion by which intelligence was to be judged.

“Obviously,” said the elephant, “the criterion must be weight.”

“Not weight,” said the giraffe, “but height.”

“Not height,” said the swan, “but grace.”

“Not grace,” said the cheetah, “but speed.”

“Not speed,” said the tiger, “but ferocity.”

“Not ferocity,” said the frog, “but greenness.”

So it went.  In the end, the animals couldn’t agree on what intelligence was.  So they adjourned their congress and had a few glasses of punch all around, and gossipped about the doings in the forest until the meeting broke up.  Then everyone went home and forgot all about it.

But those two men who had gone for a walk in the forest are still arguing about what intelligence is, to this very day.

Questions, corrections, comments:  Send me e-mail at  markthom@flash.net