Are humans intelligent?

My views on human intelligence are somewhat complicated. I have been known to make comments that are both critical and defensive of human intelligence. It's more likely that people who read what I have written will see my criticism, but I should still explain myself.

In many ways, we are underestimating our abilities. We're afraid to think. Similarly, we underestimate our educational ability. This view can be seen in my educational beliefs. I truly believe that children would be better educated if they were given more freedom. Instead, we seem to believe that education must be strictly controlled. We diminish the abilities of children.

The big issue here is the difference between can and do. I believe that we're capable of more than we realize. We are capable of thought, but we aren't willing to think. We are capable of teaching ourselves, but we are too afraid to deviate from what we're supposed to believe about schooling. This is why I frequently insist that we're stupid. Despite our raw abilities, we don't use them.