The following are some of the traits I have observed in pseudo-intellectuals. I call them pseudo-intellectuals because they think they are intellectuals but are not. They are the pretenders. One class of pseudo-intellectuals are the people (we find them in every country) who protest everything that is good for their country such as development projects, necessary laws, and legislation, etc. In fact, protesting and opposing have become reflex actions for such people and these people are called ‘intellectuals’ by the media – a term totally unsuitable for such people. An intellectual is actually an intelligent person who is also a deep thinker and perhaps also a researcher and comes to a conclusion after a lot of investigation, knowledge gathering and assimilating. An intellectual person always endeavors to do good to the society or the country. The pseudo-intellectuals show no such traits.
- Intellectuals seek to know the full truth while pseudo-intellectuals seek to derive only that part of the truth that suits them. Pseudo-intellectuals are simply not interested in knowing the full truth and hence only see that side of the story that suits their beliefs and prejudices. Any fact that contradicts their existing beliefs is immediately dismissed as untruth. Even if the truth is glaringly obvious, a pseudo-intellectual will often ignore it if it does not fit in his existing beliefs and prejudices.
- Intellectuals are always open to new knowledge and information whereas the pseudo-intellectuals are not. The mind of a pseudo-intellectual is a closed box. They are driven by their prejudices and half baked knowledge and have no real desire to learn anything new unless it reinforces their existing beliefs and prejudices.
- A big ego will prevent a pseudo-intellectual from admitting his mistake. For a pseudo-intellectual, arriving at a conclusion or decision is always an ego trip.
- Pseudo-intellectuals often do things simply because they want to appear different or want attention/headlines.
- A pseudo-intellectual can become combative, destructive (even anti-social and/or anti-national) if his point-of-view is not accepted. A needless proclivity to argue is one of the tell-tale signs of a pseudo-intellectual.
- A pseudo intellectual’s knowledge is shallow and these people accumulate only that much knowledge that allows them to appear superior to others or help them in winning arguments with those lesser knowledgeable than them.
- Often a crowd-pleaser, a pseudo-intellectual rarely has the courage to speak the truth if it not what others want to hear. They often speak just to please others and often try to be politically correct.
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
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