What makes a person an intellectual?

[edro]

Anyone who continues to learn about subjects they are not directly involved with.

 

[darkewaffle]

 

[mattpegher]

What defines an intellectual vs someone that wishes to be percieved as an intellectual. It is the desire for knowledge, first and foremost. The classic example of intellectuals were of individuals that existed in times where human knowledge was perceptably limited. Individuals that sought to understand things that were as yet unclear. Today, these individuals continue to strive, mostly in anonymity, of those few will enter the history books of science.
So the difference between the intellectual and the nonintellectual is the thirst for knowledge. No matter how many facts one knows, what field of study one excells in, or ones resume of texts, courses, or experiences, it is the unease in ignorance that defines the intellectual. As stated above, this requires a honest humility regarding the fullness of understanding of any subject discussed.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

this. "A wise man, knows, he knows nothing at all." -unknown

Lol... Maybe unknown to you.

 

[polarmystery]

The more intelligent one is, the more one realizes just how much they do not know. The truly intelligent are often humble because of that.

This. The more I learn about the world, the more dumbfounded I become. The complexities are staggering.

 

[davmat787]

However, being humble before the universe does not necessitate that one be humble before the rabble.
The universe holding mysteries does not mean that someone like spidey07 is likely to be privy to any. Presuming that a proposition emitted by a member of the NASCAR Nation is corrupted by a simplistic modeling system is reasonable.

But to what end? What purpose does it serve other than to give oneself a very transparent feel of self superiority? If an ego is that starved that you must belittle those who you feel are less intelligent, then I think that speaks to larger problems.

Besides, there are always those who are smarter than oneself, so it can work both ways.

 

[mattpegher]

I have always found that a key component of the intellectual, especially in the upper eschelon of university is the ability to listen. They are more interesting in aquisition of your viewpoint and thoughts than teaching their own.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

An intellectual is someone who knows enough to know wiki is not the fountain of wisdom, the intarweb is not the most important tool for discovering knowledge and, life is too short to drink bad beer.

 

[mattpegher]

An intellectual is someone who knows enough to know wiki is not the fountain of wisdom, the intarweb is not the most important tool for discovering knowledge and, life is too short to drink bad beer.

Yes a true intellectual would probably be in a pub right now contemplating a nice dark ale, thinking about the nature of the universe and how that can help him get the barmaid to come home with him. (That phrase made me miss the yarns of Douglas Adams - may he rest in peace).

 

[Dr. Zaus]

An inflated sense of self entitlement, mixed with the urge to prove something to everybody.

like this guy:

Not just someone posing as such because they want to look the part.

I'd say if you publish in a reputable journal and get cited in your intellectual field then you are part of the instinctual discourse in your field, and thus an intellectual.

google > intellectuals

not when it comes to adding new knowledge to the world; which is the true mark of an intellectual.

Anyone who continues to learn about subjects they are not directly involved with.

more of an auto didactic philomath than an intellectual; oddly the two are often at odds with one another.

As stated above, this requires a honest humility regarding the fullness of understanding of any subject discussed.

You've got your causality backwards.

It turns out that learning more and more a bout a specific subject makes you more and more humble regarding your level of knowledge there within. Similarly, having a wide-range of knowledge with less depth makes you less humble... this is why the MBA is such a horrible horrible degree.

They are more interesting in aquisition of your viewpoint and thoughts than teaching their own.

The intellectual tends toward a strong paradigm (real usage, not BS business usage) through which he translates everything he thinks sees and hears... to the sociologist everything is sociology, to the psychologist everything is psychology, to the artist everything is semiotics.

I am trying to avoid strong paradigms because i think they put blinders on us... but even the the 'trash-can' paradigm is itself a strong paradigm.

 

[Locut0s]

like this guy:

I'd say if you publish in a reputable journal and get cited in your intellectual field then you are part of the instinctual discourse in your field, and thus an intellectual.

not when it comes to adding new knowledge to the world; which is the true mark of an intellectual.

more of an auto didactic philomath than an intellectual; oddly the two are often at odds with one another.

You've got your causality backwards.

It turns out that learning more and more a bout a specific subject makes you more and more humble regarding your level of knowledge there within. Similarly, having a wide-range of knowledge with less depth makes you less humble... this is why the MBA is such a horrible horrible degree.
The intellectual tends toward a strong paradigm (real usage, not BS business usage) through which he translates everything he thinks sees and hears... to the sociologist everything is sociology, to the psychologist everything is psychology, to the artist everything is semiotics.

I am trying to avoid strong paradigms because i think they put blinders on us... but even the the 'trash-can' paradigm is itself a strong paradigm.

You're a strange one Dixy. You're a strange mix of Christian conservative and "intellectual liberal". And that's neither praise nor criticism 😛

 

[TalonStrike]

If they are as smart as me, they are considered an intellectual.

 

[DrPizza]

google > intellectuals

I disagree. All google can do is provide basic knowledge. That's the lowest and most basic level of understanding. Google doesn't provide comprehension. Google doesn't provide application, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. The majority of what you get from Google isn't intellectualism, though, you could find exmples of intellectualism and mindlessly repeat them.

 

[Bignate603]

I disagree. All google can do is provide basic knowledge. That's the lowest and most basic level of understanding. Google doesn't provide comprehension. Google doesn't provide application, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. The majority of what you get from Google isn't intellectualism, though, you could find exmples of intellectualism and mindlessly repeat them.

I'd have to agree with you. Personally, I think of an intellectual as someone who has a desire to understand things that are complex and connect them together. For example, someone that was intellectual would look at history and see how analogies could be drawn from the situations in one time period to situations that we see around us today. Someone just looking things up on Google thinks of history as a string of disconnected facts.

 

[nonameo]

I disagree. All google can do is provide basic knowledge. That's the lowest and most basic level of understanding. Google doesn't provide comprehension. Google doesn't provide application, analysis, synthesis, or evaluation. The majority of what you get from Google isn't intellectualism, though, you could find exmples of intellectualism and mindlessly repeat them.

Call it... informationalism?

XD

...

although, there is something to be said for being informed.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Call it... informationalism?

XD

...

although, there is something to be said for being informed.

It's what you do with the information and how it affects your life that's important. There are plenty of ATOTers who google their next breathe. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to enable them to have a life.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

You're a strange one Dixy. You're a strange mix of Christian conservative and "intellectual liberal". And that's neither praise nor criticism 😛

That is um.. exactly what I am 🙂.

From a christian perspective i'm more in line with books like "blue like Jazz", as is my baptist church (that took baptist out of the name so as not to scare people off).

From an intellectual perspective I'm studying psychology in a school of business...


So I think my hippy professor with his communism and "quantum equine energetics" is crazy, but I also think that my dad with his "Glen beck is a profit from God" is just as crazy.

Overall, I'm happy... but I can feel myself slipping more and more liberal every day ;-).

It's what you do with the information and how it affects your life that's important. There are plenty of ATOTers who google their next breathe. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to enable them to have a life.

A life is only as valuable as the next person you impact.

 

[corwin]

- Socrates

-me and my GED D: and 90k yearly salary😕

 

[DominionSeraph]

But to what end? What purpose does it serve other than to give oneself a very transparent feel of self superiority?

It sets up a system by which one can judge one's shortcomings. They don't hand out D's to the underperformers in school just to make the "A's" feel good.

Someone like spidey or ProfJohn would be C- to D. a777pilot is consistently D-. matt0611 would be an F.
Pointing this out lets them know where they stand.
If they make no efforts to improve, that's just another failing to add to the lengthy list.

Besides, there are always those who are smarter than oneself, so it can work both ways.

It doesn't happen often, but I do so like it when I am around such people. Only near-equals or betters can serve up a real test.

 

[Newbian]

Never visiting P&N forums...

 

[uclaLabrat]

So I think my hippy professor with his communism and "quantum equine energetics" is crazy, but I also think that my dad with his "Glen beck is a profit from God" is just as crazy.

That may be the most telling mis-spelling ever.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

An intellectual is someone who loves knowledge and understanding, period. Whether it's practical, theoretical, applied or abstract doesn't matter. I've met mechanics (such as from the NASCAR set) who are more intellectual than professors because of the breadth of their knowledge and understanding.

It doesn't happen often, but I do so like it when I am around such people. Only near-equals or betters can serve up a real test.

Other people who don't actually produce anything of substance, and merely deride anything put before them? You don't construct and articulate anything in the social forums. All your masturbatory posts accomplish is wasting bandwidth. All you ever do is retort that too few could understand your brilliance. What makes you so pathetic is that here you are, day in and day out, hour after hour, spending time amongst those you purport to be so superior to.

You're no intellectual. You're a troll, and you're the very definition of effeteness.

Cue the inevitable, cliched response: 'ahh gee darr u r too dumb for me, but here i will take the time to reply n e wayz cuz i am so smart!'

 

[Dr. Zaus]

DS has the problem of being smart enough to think but not educated enough to be humble.

 

[zinfamous]

An inflated sense of self entitlement, mixed with the urge to prove something to everybody.

that sounds like a douche. intellectuals are generally curious about most things more than they have any desire to prove "something"



while there are probably many ways to describe an intellectual, I do know that hanging out here too long is a good way to dissolve one's intellect.

 

[zinfamous]

It sets up a system by which one can judge one's shortcomings. They don't hand out D's to the underperformers in school just to make the "A's" feel good.

Someone like spidey or ProfJohn would be C- to D. a777pilot is consistently D-. matt0611 would be an F.
Pointing this out lets them know where they stand.
If they make no efforts to improve, that's just another failing to add to the lengthy list.



It doesn't happen often, but I do so like it when I am around such people. Only near-equals or betters can serve up a real test.

You have too much ponies on the brain to offer any real value to culture, much less human knowledge.
Your self delusion is astounding!


I think a guy like spidey, for all his insanity, knows far more about food than you know about anything.