Brief note on intellectuals

It strikes me that the more talent someone has, the more likely they are to doubt and question it. True knowledge is seldom selfpromoting and the more overt the display of it is, the more should it be distrusted.

In the very same manner, people that respond to being called “intellectual” very often seem to lack just that very thing. Intellect. An intellectual is someone who has failed in his aspiration towards intellect and thus covered his or hers shortcoming by simply adopting the title. There is no inherent evil in so doing, it is probably a part of human biology. We simply cannot help ourselves. It only becomes evil coupled with aspirations towards power and control. Perhaps – the one follows the other.

Expanding the thought towards anyone referring to themselves as experts is not hard to do, either. A self-promoted expert has no, or at least should have no, credibility. Knowledge is subtle and by its very nature questing. And questioning. The old proverb of the more you know the less you know certainly seems to do the assertion justice.

Mistrust intellectuals and mistrust self-proclaimed experts. Look for knowledge where none is seemingly to be found and question the knowledge that you have aquired. It would seem that the attitude of at least admitting the possibility of not knowing best is the most rewarding in the long run.

After all, people who turn out to be right most of the time seldom find any real satisfaction from it.