is being an 'intellectual' indicative of intelligence?

Question

i am thinking of those who have had fun deriding bush for not knowing the capital of some absurd country or, the religious make-up of another.

wouldn't it be just as easy to point out intellectual shortcomings and flaws in these same people if their every word was recorded for prosperity?

for one, i worry about the slippery sloped logic of and lack of critical thinking skills among these people who are supposedly so much smarter yet, have allowed themselves to become immersed in their own pompousness and snobbery.

i think it boils down to whether one is proned to the micro-management and memorization of small details or, otherwise, drawn to broader concepts and the processes of logic.

how many of us know a doctor who excels in no other area of expertise? are these doctors truly intelligent?

i have known many who i would have to say, no, dumb as a dog when it comes to anything else yet, they certainly fall into the category of the 'intellectual.'

Answer 1

Kind of tough being an intellectual without. ;-)

Answer 2

You make a fair point, but not knowing how to spell tomato(e!!) is not really an obscure fact is it.

Sure, not knowing the religious make up of a minor country is not a huge sin - but "Do you have blacks too?" to Brazillian leader Fernando Cardoso was perhaps a little crass and stupid do you not think?

And in answer to your initial question, yes, you need a modicum of intelligence to be "intellectual".

Mark

Answer 3

go out and buy a clue - has it ever occurred to you that the leader of the free world should be well informed regarding whats going on in the world - bush is like some high school kid with a good idea - it all sounds great .... the only problem is he doesnt know what hes talking about

Answer 4

Sure they're intelligent. Intelligent people can have strong opinions, can be obnoxious, can be jellous, can be arrogant, can be wrong and much much more. No one thinks attacking Bush is what makes people intelligent. There are intellectuals who happens to hate Bush, Clinton, Kerry or whatever...

Answer 5

Hardly...

Though Bush is an idiot by any standards... (Man they were right even special ed kids can be president.. sheesh)

Answer 6

You are they.