Do you consider yourself an intellectual?
 

In today's modern society of educated youths, where more and more people are graduating College with not only BA's but Master Degrees and Doctorates, do you consider yourself an intellectual among high society?

Even though I am not well versed on any subject in particular, I still like thinking and learning about just about everything. Just to have a well-rounded background. I love to think about astronomy and space, I love history especially dating back to ancient civilizations as well as everything from the 1200's through the 1950's, etc. I have no skill in art, music or drawing, but I appreciate those fine arts when I see them.

Ignorance is the worst thing in the world. Nobody wants to be an ignorant. So do you consider yourself well aware of the world as its whole, as well as the many subjects required to become an intellectual among modern society?

Nobody wants to be an ignorant, eh?

Well if we're talking only from the perspective of being "an intellectual among high society," then I guess I'm not going to fit that real well. I have some knowledge on various subjects, but probably not enough.

I'm no math and science wiz, I don't know everything about everything, but still enjoy learning about what interests me and am hardly any dummy... I'm still pretty bright in other ways imo. I'd like to think my own strengths can give me some measure of wisdom, which I value more than haughty intellectualism anyhow.

And how often are those who regard themselves as "intellectuals" in fact just pseudo-intellectuals? I find those sorts rather annoying, to be honest.

Not really. I have a huge amount of useless knowledge and trivia and I love writing as well as learning new stuff, but I don't take myself seriously enough to call me an intellectual.

Being educated doesn't necessarily make you an intellectual. Many college graduates are dumb and/or ignorant about many things.

I've always liked learning despite disliking school for the most part. I'm just curious and my family always stimulated me to learn, so I guess that's why I'm the way I am. I'm naturally curious. Does that make me an intellectual? Eh, no. I'm very ignorant about advanced maths and physics. And also not so good at science as am I at humanities and similar areas. I'm not exactly a jack of all trades. But I try to be good at the things I have an easier time learning, if that counts.

We're all ignorant, and I'm no exception. Odd that you make this thread considering you seem quite ignorant of society and a whole. Then again, you're CC, so it's probably just part of your online gimmick :P

Define "useless" knowledge, by that term do you mean knowledge that doesn't lend you a material reward?

Anyhow, I have never thought of calling myself an intellectual but my passions include Philosophy, religion, art, culture and spirituality.

If you bother to learn about something in the first place then it cannot be "useless" knowledge. My knowledge of certain aspects of Japanese society and culture won't help me do my job better, but that doesn't mean it's useless knowledge. I have fun learning and discussing with people about such things. I like to discover the world.

Agreed. I'm not an expert on everything either, but I still like learning about stuff that interests me such as history and one can learn from mistakes as well.

I can name every single Star Wars kenner action figure released. That type of useless knowledge

Nah, not at all. I know **** about history or geography or science. In fact, I'm lucky most standardized testing was only math and English when I was in school. I hear now they added science or some other subjects to state exams and SAT's? Help me out here, snake.

I'm probably too stupid to be an intellectual even if I wanted to be.
Instead of being a Renaissance Man, I'd be totally content to just know how to interact with people, know how to speak and write intelligently, and know how to think critically.
Like snake I am a repository of strangely specific yet strangely useless knowledge, but since brains aren't like hard drives, and can hold pretty much unlimited information, it's not like my knowing every single Bionicle character impedes my learning anything else I want/need to.

The question is, does CyberCubed consider himself an intellectual?

Yep. I suck at standarized tests (only thing keeping me off first honors last year) mostly because of the math. Different schools get different tests.

"Rarely is the question asked--is our children learning?"

Throughout half of America:

Knowing some Bionicle characters actually can boost your knowledge because their names are from the Maori language so you can learn that. Like Pohatu's name I think means Stone in Maori

This

Askin' the real questions

I wouldn't think so. I occasionally have deep thoughts, but mostly just a normal dude.

I don't see how anyone cannot crave knowledge. Obviously you're not going to memorize stuff off the top of your head, but just to read and expose yourself to things via the internet or other places.

Just last week I started watching videos of deep sea exploration. Its amazing they say only 30% of the world underwater has been mapped. And you see all these amazing deep sea creatures that look like the most hideous things you'll ever see.

Be careful though - there is a lot of horse sh*t on the internet.

I'm even more an intellectual now than I was in 2016.

By watching movies at 1.2x speed and playing videogames all day long during the pandemic?

I don't think an individual gets to label themselves as "an intellectual". I think that's a title other people get to bestow upon you and if you refer to your own self as such then it's pretentious.

On that note I always find it amazing how we're so eager to explore other planets or the moon or whatever when there is still so much of our own planet we have yet to discover. Especially underwater.

I have a total of eight semesters and three summers of university education. I'm more booksmart than most people but I don't have the interest to be all that much of an intellectual, though I might have the ability to one. But honestly... I can't really stand most university professors, lifelong scholars and people who emulate their behaviour.

They have this obnoxious combination of both being really smart but also bizarrely out of touch. You can have a pretty interesting discussion with them, but sooner or later their weirder perspectives will unveil themselves.

I'm not sure I'd call myself an intellectual, but I do love learning about a variety of subjects, and I have many "intellectual" interests, like history, science, theology, etc. Love learning about nature, especially evolution and biology. Astronomy, physics, chemistry (mostly biochemistry) and archeology are other favorites.

Even more now in 2025.

Incel-ectual

That's half the board.

No way. I think a lot of people here f*ck.

I've seen a lot of married people on here. I am single right now, but I have had some long term relationships. I don't think there are that many incels on here, but what do I know I'm still kind of a new guy.

Some of the guys here use "incel" and "Boomer" and other terms basically pencil-whipped as they see fit, ignoring the actual meanings completely.

A lot? Maybe 5, right?

Hey, you’re college educated. You know data can be skewed to look like anything lol.

Many of us are married and plenty of us have kids, so there’s that.

5 out of 12 isn't too bad, given the community, dude. 8)