Using Your Head

I don't think it's quite as bleak as this article implies, but it is kind of absurd and funny.  And to the degree that people actually disdain intellectualism, it's kind of sad.


I think that society functions quite well with a wide strata of intellectualism.  I think intellectuals are critical for the higher functioning of society, but non-intellectuals are critical for the lower functioning of society.  I don't intend the judgement implied by using the terms "higher" and "lower" -- in any case, they seem complimentary.

That's not to say that we shouldn't try to improve our education, or that more people caring would be a bad thing.  And certainly anyone who has the desire to learn should have the opportunity.  But I know that if everyone was like me and my intellectual friends, a lot of important shit wouldn't get done :)

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math
[this is good]
Perhaps the best function intellectuals play is to provide the protection of critical thinking against other intellectuals who are more dangerous.
jfield
That's a good point. Certainly some intellectuals cause a lot of grief in the world by overreaching with flawed ideas. But then so do non-intellectuals.

In the end I'm very much a live-and-let-live person. But I think it's enjoyable to think about life and the human experience.

And in the context of the article: I don't think there's any harm in people knowing where Iraq is on a map, or that Perl Harbor didn't start the Vietnam War :)
jfield

(And before someone jumps on my pseudo-intellectual ass about the spelling of "Perl", note that I programmed largely in Perl for the past 10 years :)

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