Answer: Persuasion is a technique of social influence. It believes in the voluntary adoption of the visions and ideas by the receivers. Aristotle highlighted three means of persuasion i.e., Ethos (character), Pathos (emotions), and Logos (logic). The first kind depends on the personal character of the speaker; the second on putting the audience into a certain frame of mind; and the third on the proof, or apparent proof, provided by the words of the speech itself. Character is believed to be the most effective means of persuasion as can be observed through the following examples:

• In Mahabharata, the character of Dharamraja Yudhisthira lied to his Guru Dronacharya about the death of his son, Ashwathama. It was the persuasive power of his character, that made everyone including his Guru believe his statement. Thus, it was due to the persuasive power of character that even a lie became the truth.
• Another prominent example from day-to-day life can be the advertisement industry, which utilizes the character of influential and credible celebrities like film stars, sports persons, etc. to persuade people to sell their products.
• Further, the character of an individual plays a vital role in bringing social changes in society through persuasion. For instance, the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar led to the abolition of the Sati system and the passing of the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act respectively.
• On a larger scale, even a nation can be considered to have a character. A nation’s image/character is very important in global politics. It reflects the persuasive power of a nation over other nations on numerous social, economic, and political matters. For instance, India has an image of a nation that believes in peace and cooperation among all countries. It helped India get a waiver from the USA while signing the civil nuclear deal even without rectifying the Non- Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The other ways of persuasion generally influence people for a temporary period of time and have no ripple effects. Conversely, persuasion based on character is considered to be long-lasting and permanent in nature and thus the most effective way of persuasion as it leads to the internalization of the qualities by the people.

Answer: Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills, which provide us with specific utility to solve a particular problem. In the given statement, Fyodor Dostoyevsky stresses the limitation of intelligence alone to solve the problems faced by an individual in one’s personal, professional, and social life. In this regard, it can be said that one needs something more than intelligence to act intelligently, which, for instance, can be:

• Wisdom: It is the ability to analyze any situation with logic, reasoning, and experience to arrive at the best result. Intelligence can take one as far as having the ability to understand something but it requires wisdom to apply that intelligence in the right manner to get a better result. For example, an intelligent officer can detect the source of leakage in public distribution systems or corruption in drug procurement and supply systems and take remedial steps. However, a wise administrator will likely be able to anticipate early hurdles and take necessary measures beforehand.
• Empathy: Without empathy, intelligence is nothing more than the ability to determine facts. Empathy, along with the ability to see a situation for what it is, is necessary for a person to make an intelligent move. Empathy-driven human angle in problem-solving is required in addressing intricate problems such as the issue of Naxalism and secessionist tendencies.
• Situational awareness: Along with intelligence, one must be aware of the situation surrounding him/her to make the right decision. For example, an efficient administrator should be aware of factors like resource constraints to make an intelligent decision as seen in the case of the development of the “people’s road” in Manipur, which was built without any financial support from the government.
• Moral awareness: Society’s morality takes precedence over the intelligence of an individual. While making any decision, one must also be aware of societal morality. For example, Gandhiji withdrew from the non-cooperation movement after violence in the Chauri-Chaura incident due to societal morality, which dictates peace and justice.
• Imagination: Imagination is not bound by the physical, social, legal, and moral foundations of humans or society and can create different ideas, which are varied and unique. It is human imagination, which makes an individual apply his/her intelligence to bring something from imagination to reality. For instance, thinking out of the box to solve new problems like the COVID-19 pandemic, technological innovation to make life of differently-abled easier, etc.

Thus, intelligence alone has limited scope but when complimented with traits like empathy, wisdom/ experience, situational awareness, etc., it has varied applicability.