Intelligence on Trial: Intelligence and Its Relation to Possibility in Franz Kafka’s Novel, The Trial

Franz Kafka’s novel, The Trial , teaches us much about negotiating the trials of living not only of living in Kafka’s world, but also in the modern world. This article analyzes some of what we can learn from the novel regarding intelligence as adaptation and its relationship to possibilities. The article opens with an introduction, which is followed by a brief summary of The Trial. The novel is then analyzed in terms of the theory of adaptive intelligence and its relationships to possibility. The roles of practical intelligence, creativity, and wisdom are examined, in particular with relationship to possibility. Next, some other interpretations of The Trial are presented from diverse philosophical and psychological viewpoints. The article then concludes by arguing that understanding how to live in a world of limited and often vague possibilities requires not merely general intelligence, but more importantly, a broader range of skills viewed as adaptive intelligence.