One of the professors I respected the most when I was in school defined intelligence as the ability and willingness to change one's mind when presented with a better arguement. Not necessarily a more eloquently presented one, but a truly better arguement. (Personally, I always thought it would take a respectable amount of intelligence to differentiate the two but that's neither here nor there...) That has been my personal measuring stick ever since. Am I being intelligent or am I being stubborn? Generally speaking, I do pretty well.
Unless it's something that makes me really, really passionate. At that point, I tend to not only ignore other arguements (eloquently presented or not) but also facts themselves. *Sigh*
On this topic, my biggest fear is that I will become as closed-minded as the people whose voices I try to counter. Because yes, even liberals can be closed-minded. I know one man who is so liberal he's consevative. He is always Right. He never misses a chance to try to prove his Rightness. Whereas, if you have read this blog previously, you are aware I also know a woman who is as consevative as he is liberal and as open-minded as he thinks he is.
I have two heros ~ John Adams (making his second aprearance in this blog) and Nelson Mandela. Talk about passionate men. Passionate, stubborn and idealistic men. And by whatever definition you use, whatever measurng stick, they were intelligent. They recognized the facts, even when the facts weren't what they wanted the facts to be. They kept their passion ~ and their intellgence.
There have been several things recently that have tapped into my passion and I have been Right about them. Don't give me facts. Don't give me statistics. I'm passionate and I'm Right. *sigh* If it were only that easy. On days like that, I envy the man who is always Right. He never has to question or listen or learn. Then I remember my professor. I read a particularly Jaded and Opinionated blog. I think about John and Nelson. And I decide I would rather be Intelligent than Right.
It's not easy. I'm not terribly good at it, honestly. And I will keep trying. Keep listening to the arguements and weighing the facts and, hopefully, growing.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
1 comments:
Thank you for this--it's wonderful. I love the "so liberal he's conservative" line. :-) I've met those people. I particularly love the ones who trash the South and its people when they hear my accent...because, you know, *Southerners* are so prejudiced and ignorant.
I'm trying to figure out what I am. Pissed off, cynical, and looking for alternatives is what I am, mostly. I am "liberal", "libertarian", and "conservative" in various ways, but not enough of any of these things to feel comfortable in any of these groups.
Intellectually open-minded and willing to hear others' arguments seem like good labels.
Thanks again!
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