L. W. Nicholson
Intelligence — The ability to learn and understand or to deal with new or trying situations—mental acuteness. My own definition: The ability to accept facts as a criteria of truth—the ability to withhold judgment until facts have been obtained.
Ignorance — Lacking knowledge or intelligence—Unaware – uninformed. My own definition: An inability to accept facts as a criteria of truth—The inability to withhold judgment until facts have been obtained.
Being unaware or uninformed is often the result of ignorance, but these definitions are the same regardless of social conditions. However, more intelligence, or the lack of it, may be demonstrated more often when social conditions demand positive action. When you place small rocks among large rocks in a container, and shake them a few times the small rocks will find their way to the bottom. We will likely find this to be so when social conditions ( resulting from oil depletion for example) become extremely unstable. The small people will seek the bottom of the barrel. If enough time is available before a complete collapse, the more intelligent people will become more prominent in social affairs.