You can't "earn" intelligence either. You can improve your abilities, knowledge and skills but, just like some are taller and some have perfect pitch, biology plays a big part in a person's intelligence.

What's more important is to realize that, just like being taller or having perfect pitch, being intellectually gifted should never be equated with the value of a person. Neither should wealth, power or anything else. Indeed, people's lives are incommensurable because we have different abilities, experiences, challenges, history, circumstances (luck) and many other factors. Every person’s life is to be celebrated and we should look towards cooperation and community rather than competition, privilege and prestige.

Moreover, a person who has the potential to be the fastest runner may run slower than one who had much less potential but had training. Same with fighters, musicians, artists and technical people of all stripes. Long training, studies and development can produce capabilities that outmatch anyone who hadn’t had a chance to start. Many, and I would say the vast majority, of geniuses go undiscovered.

There is too much wasted potential because the dynamics of the capitalist system leads to segregation, isolation and a continuous exacerbation of systemic inequalities. This leads those who find themselves in positions of privilege the desire to justify one’s wealth and privilege and to build facades of superiority and of class distinction.

What is intelligence and what is its use?

It is a gift and like all gifts, its true purpose is to be used in service to others. Just like a musician enjoys captivating audiences with her performances, a true genius delights in orchestrating symphonies of intellectual labor, educating, and enlightening others. This is no more and no less than a mother enjoying giving care to her children or a chef savoring in the delight of his guests. Such gifts are demeaned by ranking them or turning them into mere tools of gain or vicarious prestige.