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What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

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    What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

    I've heard this term many times, and I know that it means "fake intellectual". My question is, what are the marks of a pseudo-intellectual vs. a true intellectual? Is it a matter of reaching a certain level of intelligence? Ruthless curiosity and research to back it up? You opinions and input, please.

    #2
    Re: What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

    It is someone who claims to have knowledge they don't have, and/or uses chop (junk) logic to prove a thing.

    An example might be someone who has taken a poli-sci class or two and attempts to present his/herself as an expert on government, and backs it up with quotes from some the two textbooks he/she has skimmed.

    It's different from somebody who expresses an opinion because someone who expresses an opinion does not generally claim to be an knowledgable expert on something (or, as is more common with PI's, to be an expert on everything).

    You can usually recognize one of these critters by the way their volume goes up when somebody disagrees with them, and how they don't actually respond to disagreement but instead repeat what they've already said, and how they never admit that those who disagree with them can raise valid points that are worth considering, and how they never admit that they don't know something, or that they have made a mistake.

    In other words, they're pretentious A-holes, more interested in impressing you with their great, cosmic intelligence than they are in actually pursuing knowledge.

    Or, in slang usage, anybody who is smart that you don't agree with, and can't actually demonstrate is wrong.

    The first definition is technically correct, while the second is used by pseudo intellectuals to insult actual intellectuals.
    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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      #3
      Re: What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

      Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
      It is someone who claims to have knowledge they don't have, and/or uses chop (junk) logic to prove a thing.

      An example might be someone who has taken a poli-sci class or two and attempts to present his/herself as an expert on government, and backs it up with quotes from some the two textbooks he/she has skimmed.

      It's different from somebody who expresses an opinion because someone who expresses an opinion does not generally claim to be an knowledgable expert on something (or, as is more common with PI's, to be an expert on everything).

      You can usually recognize one of these critters by the way their volume goes up when somebody disagrees with them, and how they don't actually respond to disagreement but instead repeat what they've already said, and how they never admit that those who disagree with them can raise valid points that are worth considering, and how they never admit that they don't know something, or that they have made a mistake.

      In other words, they're pretentious A-holes, more interested in impressing you with their great, cosmic intelligence than they are in actually pursuing knowledge.

      Or, in slang usage, anybody who is smart that you don't agree with, and can't actually demonstrate is wrong.

      The first definition is technically correct, while the second is used by pseudo intellectuals to insult actual intellectuals.
      That is a very sound definition, Corbin. Thank you

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        #4
        Re: What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

        Unless you mean pseudo-science...that's slightly different, but only because it's not an individual perspective.

        This is something that claims to be science and tries to look a lot like science, but has no or little supporting evidence, studies, etc etc etc. If it's not repeatable, it's not science (homeopathy, divining rods, etc etc etc)

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          #5
          Re: What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

          This might kinda explain. When younger a friend and myself used to go to a beer hall that was frequented by UC students in Berkley California. Just to be kinda ass hats,we would start a conversation(Loudly) about a made up science or political discussion. The thing was to get one of the people there to jump in and agree with one of us. Since the whole thing was created out of whole cloth,someone would eventually agree he had read a made up source,trying to seem informed. I know it was mean to do,but it was in my drinking days,and being a none collage type as was my friend,it was just a mean game to play on people that at the time seemed a bit full of themselves.
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            #6
            Re: What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

            Originally posted by Roknrol View Post
            Unless you mean pseudo-science...that's slightly different, but only because it's not an individual perspective.

            This is something that claims to be science and tries to look a lot like science, but has no or little supporting evidence, studies, etc etc etc. If it's not repeatable, it's not science (homeopathy, divining rods, etc etc etc)
            Oh yes, there's a lot of that milling about these days. I have become very wary of anyone who uses the word "quantum" to justify their theories, lol.
            "If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum quantum mechanics." -Richard Feynman

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              #7
              Re: What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

              Originally posted by iflewoverthecuckoosnest View Post
              I've heard this term many times, and I know that it means "fake intellectual". My question is, what are the marks of a pseudo-intellectual vs. a true intellectual? Is it a matter of reaching a certain level of intelligence? Ruthless curiosity and research to back it up? You opinions and input, please.
              We call them 'know-it-alls' here... and Corbins definition sums it up nicely.

              I will add, though, that I don't necessarily think that 'intelligent' and 'intellectual' are inextricably linked together. I've met some not-intelligent intellectuals.... and I'd probably consider myself an intelligent non-intellectual.

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                #8
                Re: What makes someone a "pseudo-intellectual"?

                This is just my personal take on what a psuedo-intellectual is. In my opinion it is somebody who may be educated and full of facts. They generally have a decent vocabulary too. But for all their espousal of ideas and big words they are incapable of independent thought. They seem to like to read theories and philosophy and spout off about them. But when it comes right down to it they just like these grand ideas without really having any kind of understanding or personal philosophy of their own because that would involve thinking for themselves rather than just repeating something they read in a vain attempt to make themselves sound intelligent.

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