People only benefit from what has come before. Each mind must start from scratch. As a whole we have an evolution of thinking. As a whole we increase knowledge. Increased knowledge as a whole is self evident.
Increased ability in individual intelectual abilities....I say no.
As a whole I say yes because of the general improvement in the availability and quality of education. More people are now able to express thier inteligence.
However the term inteligence is very subjective.
Certainly the view that we have an advanced society as being evidience of our inteligence is a very biased opinion.
I believe in this discussion we should avoid the trap of seeing inteligence as some sort of superiority.
I would say that intligence, knowledge, and common sense or wisdom are all intertwined. There are knowledgeable people who can manage and store much information ...recite it and apply it but are not good at formulating new ideas from it. There are those who have the ability to formulate new ideas without a complete knowledge of a subject. there are those that can visualize what many never will, who have the common sense of a rock. The common addage between the engineer who tells the layout person how it works on paper and the layout person who makes it work in the real world.
I play music with a friend who could inhale information in the academic venue. He was amazingly mechanically inclined. He could read music very well. But he could not "jam" worth a hoot.
I have other thoughts but that is enough for now.
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