Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No, you think it wrong for intellectual bullies to be called arrogant, anyone of lesser intelligence that draws that conclusion must certainly be jealous, that would mean they lack the capacity for any critical thinking.
I don't have a dog in this fight but, man, I don't know what you're talking about here. Seems like a lot of jumping to conclusions.
No, you think it wrong for intellectual bullies to be called arrogant, anyone of lesser intelligence that draws that conclusion must certainly be jealous, that would mean they lack the capacity for any critical thinking.
No, what I think is that it's jealousy that usually motivates calling intelligent and accomplished people "arrogant" and treating their accomplishment as a personality flaw. I think it's jealousy that makes people insist on a special kind of humility that intelligent people must display in order to compensate for their sin of intelligence. I also think the idea that cultivating one's own intelligence is done primarily for the purpose of oppressing people with it utterly ludicrous. I am not much concerned with whether or not someone else possesses the capacity for critical thinking. If they do -- fantastic; that makes it much easier to talk to them.
Human nature is learned behavior. Otherwise everyone would be doing the same thing. Not everyone brags.
But people do like to lord it over others, or be boastful and arrogant. These are normal human emotions, and again not something that will change soon. I don't believe much behaviour is learnt, IMO it mostly is rooted in our neurology and experience molds how we apply it. Most people innately feel happy, sad, joyful or intimidated, in given situations. These are rooted in our brains, and our experiences determine how we express them.
Maybe people feeling intimidated by others' intelligence should gain more self-confidence. Or not respond to the bait as much. I often think that fighting the inevitable is a lost cause, and that people would be happier if we acknowledge and accept the array of personalities there are in the world.
No, what I think is that it's jealousy that usually motivates calling intelligent and accomplished people "arrogant" and treating their accomplishment as a personality flaw. .
I don't see anywhere in any posts here that someone who is accomplished and intelligent is arrogant and you're defending something that was never said.
I don't see anywhere in any posts here that someone who is accomplished and intelligent is arrogant and defending something that was never said.
Well, I'm not accusing any particular poster -- am I? However, I do notice that any discussion about intelligent and highly accomplished people is always qualified by warnings against arrogance. Why is that? For comparison, think about how these would sound:
-- Do you like men with well-toned muscles? Yes, provided they are not bullies who use those muscles to beat people up.
-- Do you like doctors? Yes, unless they poison people or murder them with their scalpels.
-- Do you like blue-collar guys? Yes, provided they don't brag about being "real people", as if others either fake being people or don't actually exist.
Seems to me, there is an assumption that intelligence somehow tends to go together with an exaggerated, unjustified sense of self-worth. In my own, personal experience I've found the opposite to be true. Why worry about whether intelligent people take themselves too seriously? After all, there are many who are neither wise nor blessed with a good personality.
But people do like to lord it over others, or be boastful and arrogant. These are normal human emotions, and again not something that will change soon. I don't believe much behaviour is learnt, IMO it mostly is rooted in our neurology and experience molds how we apply it. Most people innately feel happy, sad, joyful or intimidated, in given situations. These are rooted in our brains, and our experiences determine how we express them.
Maybe people feeling intimidated by others' intelligence should gain more self-confidence. Or not respond to the bait as much. I often think that fighting the inevitable is a lost cause, and that people would be happier if we acknowledge and accept the array of personalities there are in the world.
Um, which is it...these reactions are rooted in our brains from birth, or our experiences drive our reactions? You can't claim it both ways.
There's no doubt that there are those with middling I.Q.'s who are indeed envious or intimidated by the intelligence of others. Hence the bullied bookworm at school. However, some of the most intelligent people on the planet also possess the most fragile minds and egoes.
As to what is and isn't learned behavior--psychiatrists who are way more qualified than I am continue to debate this claim today. I happen to believe that jealousy and anger are learned, not etched in our DNA. Unfortunately, by the time we reach adulthood, it is very difficult to un-learn these behaviors and reactions.
Um, which is it...these reactions are rooted in our brains from birth, or our experiences drive our reactions? You can't claim it both ways.
There's no doubt that there are those with middling I.Q.'s who are indeed envious or intimidated by the intelligence of others. Hence the bullied bookworm at school. However, some of the most intelligent people on the planet also possess the most fragile minds and egoes.
As to what is and isn't learned behavior--psychiatrists who are way more qualified than I am continue to debate this claim today. I happen to believe that jealousy and anger are learned, not etched in our DNA. Unfortunately, by the time we reach adulthood, it is very difficult to un-learn these behaviors and reactions.
I think emotions are innate, even bad emotions such as jealousy or anger. To say we should never feel them is just new age pop-psychology, it's not rooted in anything scientific.
I also reckon that people fear intelligence because of its power. It is the intelligent who make the advances in life, whether scientific or cultural. Again, it boils down to envy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
