In the age of information, to be intelligent is to succeed--or so we are told, over and over again. But how can anyone define and measure intelligence? What is intelligence, in its broadest sense? Are trees, perfectly suited to their environments, intelligent? And just what is smart about a smart card or a smart bomb? Through encounters with schoolchildren and spies, computer hackers and brain specialists, the filmmakers create a poetic and provocative essay which skewers simplistic views of intelligence and argues for an all-encompassing perspective that embraces the full range of human capabilities. Shot on locations ranging from a playground to a military installation, Intelligence fearlessly attempts to define our most mysterious capacity. Interwoven throughout is the story of The Emperor's New Clothes. This classic fairy tale symbolizes the futility of any attempts to discern who is intelligent--and it shows up the vanity and foolishness of those who believe they can.