There is a lot of variance in how words are used, so I'm not going to say you're wrong here.
However, my usage of the following words deviate from yours:
* intelligence - raw intellect, having absolutely nothing to do with anything ever learned
* smarts - synonym for raw intellect, but often more on the 'crafty' side of raw intellect
* ability - short for 'capabilities', and is a merge of 'intelligence' and 'learned information'. Information is useless without intellect, and intellect is vastly reduced in capability without learned information. Ability is a metric for these two conjoined. 'Skilled' fits here too.
So from where I sit, you never get "smarter" as you age. You do however grow your abilities, you may become "wise", and skilled.
By the way, agree 100% with the context of what you're saying. And just passing on term usage from another geolocation.
That's fine, but then measuring 'raw intellect' is like measuring 'raw strength' when you're selecting members of a soccer team. It will help, no doubt, but it's one of many factors.
However, my usage of the following words deviate from yours:
* intelligence - raw intellect, having absolutely nothing to do with anything ever learned
* smarts - synonym for raw intellect, but often more on the 'crafty' side of raw intellect
* ability - short for 'capabilities', and is a merge of 'intelligence' and 'learned information'. Information is useless without intellect, and intellect is vastly reduced in capability without learned information. Ability is a metric for these two conjoined. 'Skilled' fits here too.
So from where I sit, you never get "smarter" as you age. You do however grow your abilities, you may become "wise", and skilled.
By the way, agree 100% with the context of what you're saying. And just passing on term usage from another geolocation.