tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post5691667526909401264..comments2024-03-26T06:17:49.527-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: High Tech IntellectualsStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-2602536729234636932016-03-08T12:53:59.951-08:002016-03-08T12:53:59.951-08:00All you need to know is that most of these Silicon...All you need to know is that most of these Silicon Valley "geniuses" think the Communist Chinese system has it right. That's their vision for how we should live. It'd be laughable if it weren't so pathetic. Ignatius Acton Chesterton OCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222603717128565302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-28224207184553296812016-03-04T23:35:12.890-08:002016-03-04T23:35:12.890-08:00"If you become indignant, this elevates you t..."If you become indignant, this elevates you to the plane of 'intellectual'.” <br /><br />Indignitaries<br /><br /><br />priss rulesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-49969986952894418722016-03-04T23:01:50.083-08:002016-03-04T23:01:50.083-08:00Dennis, Hmmmm... Perhaps we have different ideas w...Dennis, Hmmmm... Perhaps we have different ideas what "intellectuals" are?<br /><br />That is to say, it seems like your old saying suggest the label "intellectual" is a sign of social status, so anyone who makes a claim of status.<br /><br />In my experience I don't see random claims of being an "intellectual" being used, or at all. In fact, when "intellectual" is used, probably it more contains the more or less accurate assessment of cowardice, someone sitting in their ivory towers outside "real" problems of the world.<br /><br />Or you can see two forms of cowardice, one is "fence-sitting" - an intellectual doesn't want to be wrong, so he'll try to be able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of issues of interest, and never be sure which side is right, so unable to advocate for anything. That would more be the "true" pure scientists, who explore things merely because they're curious, and have no interest or will to test what they think they know in messy reality.<br /><br />And the other cowardice is the intellectual who are not in the ivory towers, but have some influence on public policy, and who KNOWS what's right, and can see things that are wrong, and yet also knows he has a comfortable job going with the status quo, and is willing to keep himself in two worlds - the one where right things are known, and the one where he keeps his mouth shut and says and does what his paymasters tell him to do and say.<br /><br />The second fits, also for anyone who needs to earn a living, with Upton Sinclair's quote "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."<br /><br />Anyway, you can imagine the cowardly intellectuals don't get much attention, so its the bolder ones, who are willing to test what they know, and risk upsetting status quo, they're more dangerous when they're wrong. <br /><br />They're also often ambitious and impatient, although those aren't very intellectual traits, but probably are traits of people who accidentally got rich in a high tech startup.<br /><br />And that's where my Rush Limbaugh quote comes in "Never trust the facts of people with causes" and he's never been wrong, although you still have to check the facts before you dismiss them, and also question your own biases that encourage you to only looking at the facts you want to see.<br /><br />But as you say a true intellectual is curious and knows what he doesn't know, and doesn't assume his conclusions when he begins learning something new to him.<br />Ares Olympushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726811306826601686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-68155833847833156282016-03-04T05:53:44.883-08:002016-03-04T05:53:44.883-08:00As they used to say, "If you think you are an...As they used to say, "If you think you are an intellectual you are probably not. If one has to tell themselves they are, and you can fill in the blank,________________ most likely you are in the process of trying to assuage your ego or lack thereof. Humility is almost one of the traits a true intellectual, et al exhibits because one begins to notice how much one really does not know. Wisdom denotes that the more I know the less I know because one now understand the vastness that is knowledge. <br />The real question is "Are you wise enough to know when you don't have all the answers and maybe other people are more intelligent than they seem because they don't need to convince anyone of their skills and abilities?" If one can they do, if not they talk. Interestingly, it is why so many people on the left have lost the ability to present a well reasoned argumentation for their beliefs They ultimately have to lean on name calling, pejoratives, micro aggressions, safe rooms, free speech zones, et al. All of this only serves to denote an inability to use intellectual and logical capacities vice STFU feelings. Or we get the regurgitation of someone else who is as biased as they are. They use each other as sources.<br />We are not as smart as we think we are nor as dumb as others believe we are. Insecurity cause many to display rather disgusting traits that really demonstrate a true lack of intellect. Dennishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14962996070458991675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-82509916207082465902016-03-03T10:53:46.055-08:002016-03-03T10:53:46.055-08:00Ah, subject changing.Ah, subject changing.Sam L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00996809377798862214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-69519578516399579432016-03-03T08:10:51.131-08:002016-03-03T08:10:51.131-08:00Stuart: In the end he will consign a large portion...Stuart: In the end he will consign a large portion or his massive fortune to crackpot leftist causes...<br /><br />It's always curious on this blog that wealthy people only error on the left, while apparently right-leaning wealthy people avoid such pitfalls as stepping outside of their narrow domain of expertise.<br /><br />Ah, but Stuart identifies the explanation to this imbalance:<br />"As it happens, people who attain to such an oversized success and obscene wealth often do so by having monopolies. They do not succeed in the free market; they do not believe in the free market; they made their fortunes by cornering the market. What dangers do they face? At the least, they are endangered by the opinions of other people. They are threatened by the free press. They do not want anyone to ask any questions about how they earned their fortunes. They join forces with the media elites and the intelligentsia in order to buy off the potential opposition. They are not just offering money and power. By pretending to be intellectuals themselves they are offering prestige and status to those who work with words and ideas."<br /><br />Okay, really I don't get it. As best I can tell you're saying people become wealthy because they don't play fair, and once they made it to the top, they want to whitewash their ascent to justify their success.<br /><br />You know, like when the elite who dare to say "You didn't built it", and you say "Hey, I earned every penny of my billions by outsourcing 600,000 jobs to China, and then cleverly used a double Irish with a Dutch sandwich to lower my taxes to zero, so how can you say I didn't build it?"<br /><br />Yes, we definitely need some whitewashing. We need some expert help. Perhaps the Heritage Foundation's intellectuals can help whitewash this success into political legitimacy.Ares Olympushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726811306826601686noreply@blogger.com