Justifying machine

[jmervyn]

I agree that "truly educated" (which you actually wrote) could include wisdom, as long as we don't explain the words "truly" and "wisdom" with a particular ideology, something which both of us avoided .

Wisdom doesn't need intelligence or knowledge and vice versa. They might support each other, however.

Both intelligence and education can be overrated. Some of the smartest minds of the 20th Century thought that Eugenics was a swell idea, even though it didn't take a genius to figure out where that thinking leads. Note - that's not some kind of jibe at Germany; American Progressives (both "right" & left) were strong Eugenics supporters, some even after WW2.

Further, the bias towards one's own belief can cause one to hold some truly asinine positions when pressed or tested, such as the one that Richard Dawkins beclowned himself with on Ben Stein's movie... (Dawkins accepted the possibility of Creationism as long as a space alien, rather than God, was the Creator.)

EDIT - fun related quote from said clown during the "Reason Rally"
“Mock them, ridicule them in public,” he urged. “Don’t fall for the convention that we’re all too polite to talk about religion.”

Yup, no hypocrisy there, nosirree.

[TheNix]

Both intelligence and education can be overrated.

Say that to the surgeon that is trying to save your life!

[jmervyn]

Say that to the surgeon that is trying to save your life!

I said overrated, not worthless or optional. Plus, I'd much rather have a less "brilliant" surgeon than a "brilliant" one hopped up on cocaine and preoccupied with his upcoming weekend boat-orgy.

[krischan]

Brilliant with quotes probably means people who are good at pretending or making the impression to be brilliant.

[jmervyn]

Brilliant with quotes probably means people who are good at pretending or making the impression to be brilliant.

Unintentional inference on my part. Einstein was brilliant, but I wouldn't trust him to pick up my groceries - the old story about him having identical clothing so he wouldn't be confused with the choices might sound apocryphal but it's at least partially factual.

I worked with a somewhat older inner city man in Philadelphia, PA, for the Census Bureau - I was the computer tech, he was the supply clerk dealing specifically with laptop 'fleet' support. He was mocked by management as slow - in reality he had what used to be referred to as a 'ponderous intellect'. He didn't speak quickly, didn't jump to conclusions, didn't make snap judgements, but instead turned every problem around in his head for examination before making a call on an issue. I never worked with a better level 1 technician, and he was implicitly trustworthy to perform troubleshooting and simple repair; I was not at all surprised that he was an E-7 (Sergeant First Class) in a local Army Reserve unit.