How Intelligent Is Superman?
Why didn't Superman's father also give him a super mind?
Most depictions I have seen of Superman sets his intelligence as above average, but his power lies in how fast he can process data, which is super fast. He can read books and comprehend them at super speed. They have not depicted this in Smallville mainly because it would de-humanize the Clark Kent character too much, and render Chloe useless.
Then his weakness must be a retention of that data since if you could process data at lightning speed then you should also be able to make use of it too. I have never heard a line where Superman said "I forgot...". Maybe this is one of the loopholes in the writings of his character.
Yes! That's just it. What I have always noted about Superman, is that despite his potential to obtain and retain knowledge, he is still always concerned with being an Earthling. The character of Superman is best defined in the movie, 'Unbreakable', when Samuel L. Jackson's character gives his interpretation of the Man of Steel. When he is Clark Kent, he is a bumbler and makes mistakes, this is Superman's perception of what human beings are like. This mimicry in a way, hinders his potential to become all-powerful but also protects him from the corruption that befalls those who attain absolute power. He is able to empathize with humans, because he tries to be one, and in doing that reveals that he does not have the wisdom of a god, and that he can fall prey to the same emotional trappings that humans succumb to.
Yeah, good point KNtoran. That would be a mortal quality as well. No different that the average man away from a computer and all the databases they are able to tap into. The access to almost limitless knowledge and wisdom would teach Superman, but the retention of those ideals would still have be exercised in real situations to fully understand them.
Very often Superman's raw intelligence is not tested, it is his wisdom that his foes exploit. Knowing how to apply his knowledge is what makes him 'human', and this could be looked upon as his weakness.