Are Highly Intelligent People Inherently Cruel?

[Revoltingest]

Tolerating willful ignorance is not a virtue. As it does not one any good.

What would you think if you were subject to such
intolerance because of your personal traits?
Question #2...
Do you think the rules here should be changed
to allow personal such personal criticism?

 

[Mock Turtle]

Not really... It's arrogance that people tend to not like.

People think it's "rude" to try to debate someone with higher knowledge on a topic, for whatever reason, and that's accepted as a reasonable position. Yet it's not considered rude to be arrogant..? Shouldn't it go both ways..?

...Is it possible for a highly intelligent person to not be arrogant?

Of course it is - and many are because they probably have more understanding of human nature. They will likely understand another's position, which is often based on their abilities and/or knowledge, and so will make allowances for such. The fact is that most intelligent people probably will know how intelligent they are but nevertheless will also know that many might be more intelligent than themselves and/or have much better knowledge, so they can be equally as humble as anyone else.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Do you not think it's arrogant to consider yourself the smartest person in a room? Why would anyone be sizing other people up in regards to intelligence anyway?

...That's a trait that thoroughly disgusts me, as pretty much everyone has certain talents in certain area's -- there's no good reason for sizing yourself up with anyone, as that's based totally on arrogance and pride. What would be the purpose other than pride for sizing your intelligence up against someone else in a room?

Is that like some kind of dominance? Like wild animals do?

I can see why. As in, why would you waste your time having pointless arguments with those less likely to consider as many things as you yourself might in any discussion? Unless one was into dominance and such. It usually is quite obvious as to the level of intelligence of many as soon as they open their mouths to speak - but not always. As the old saying goes - better to not open one's mouth and appear a fool rather than speaking and verifying such - or something like that.

 

[Heyo]

Here is an account of the posts in question.

You also have a clear trend of assuming and inserting arrogance as a trait of intelligence,and it assumes it a reason for certain things. You say its for research, but you've projected and assumed so much that your motives are questionable.

Read the posts again. I also feel the vibe of hostility but formally he has plausible deniability in every one.

 

[Heyo]

...I'm finished now.

No, you're not.

Well, you have every right to leave but considering that this was a "research project", it would be nice if you'd humour us with your conclusion.

Has your question been sufficiently answered?
Do you think that intelligent people are inherently cruel?
What are the most important data points that informed your conclusion?

Publish or perish.

 

[PureX]

What would you think if you were subject to such
intolerance because of your personal traits?

Willful ignorance isn't a personal trait. It's a choice. And when that choice results in danger or harm to others, those others have both a right and an obligation to speak up, and object. If someone chooses to willfully ignore that their spouse is lying to, cheating on, stealing from, and persistently abusing them, that's their business, but they shouldn't expect the rest of us to admire or appreciate their choice. If, however, they choose to willfully ignore that the president, and the party supporting him, are lying to, cheating on, stealing from, and systematically abusing the American people, we all have the right and the obligation to express our resentment and indignation for their choosing to aid and abet those who seek to harm us.

What part of this reasoning do you find difficult to accept?

Question #2...
Do you think the rules here should be changed
to allow personal such personal criticism?

A personal affront sometimes calls for a personal response, regardless of the 'rules'.

 

[Revoltingest]

Willful ignorance isn't a personal trait. It's a choice. And when that choice results in danger or harm to others, those others have both a right and an obligation to speak up, and object. If someone chooses to willfully ignore that their spouse is lying to, cheating on, stealing from, and persistently abusing them, that's their business, but they shouldn't expect the rest of us to admire or appreciate their choice. If, however, they choose to willfully ignore that the president, and the party supporting him, are lying to, cheating on, stealing from, and systematically abusing the American people, we all have the right and the obligation to express our resentment and indignation for their choosing to aid and abet those who seek to harm us.

You make choices.
What would you think if you were subject to such intolerance for your choices?

What part of this reasoning do you find difficult to accept?

The cruelty of it.

A personal affront sometimes calls for a personal response, regardless of the 'rules'.

Does this mean that you still support the rule against such personal criticism?

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

You have no clue why I started this thread.

Sure we do. You wanted to let us know how much you dislike the highly intelligent, but you believe that your religion forbids you from saying so explicitly, so you take a passive-aggressive approach.

I wonder if you know that that is why you are here. People into deceiving others often forget that and deceive themselves, believing their own stories.

It's interesting to see people thinking that they are concealing their motives when they are plain to see. How many posters have told you that they feel your anti-intellectual hostility? A half dozen?

Is it possible for a highly intelligent person to not be arrogant?

These are the kinds of comments that betray you. Can you not see that this exposes you? It's a rhetorical question coming from you. You've already described one poster as arrogant for considering herself intelligent, or the most intelligent person in a room. Calling that arrogant reflects on you, not her.

You don't ask if highly intelligent people are inherently kind, or if they are more likely to be kind or cruel. You ask if they're inherently cruel.

You don't ask if its possible for highly intelligent person to no be humble, or whether they are more likely to be arrogant or humble. You question whether it is even possible for such people to NOT be arrogant.

Nobody does smear the intelligent as "cruel", though the question has been asked for research purposes.

Research? Really? What have you learned? I doubt that anybody is buying that, either. The question was asked to denigrate.

Perhaps arrogance and self-pride have stood in the way of acknowledging this possibility.

There you go again with this watered down hostility. Just say what's on your mind

I also feel the vibe of hostility but formally he has plausible deniability in every one.

He has no deniability with me. I know exactly what he's up to, and I suspect that you do as well. He thinks he's concealed his feelings and intention with these questions, but his choice of questions - how he words them - belies his stated intention.

Does this resemble research to you? We got all of the same data he did reading the comments here. My research reveals that the purpose of this thread is what I stated. I gave my evidence (actually, @Shadow Wolf presented it nicely), my argument (nobody is asking sincerely when he writes, "Is it possible for a highly intelligent person to not be arrogant?), and my conclusion.

You won't be seeing the results of any research from the OP.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Read the posts again. I also feel the vibe of hostility but formally he has plausible deniability in every one.

I don't play that game. His posts reek of passive-aggressive intentions as he attempts the shield his insults as "research."

 

[Heyo]

He has no deniability with me. I know exactly what he's up to, and I suspect that you do as well.

I have my suspicions. But as highly intelligent person I can separate my feelings from the facts. And fact is that @Landon Caeli didn't accuse me of being cruel or arrogant. (He did it to @Shadow Wolf, though.)
I try to act rationally here, not emotionally and I afford Hanlon's Razor to everyone until proven otherwise.

He thinks he's concealed his feelings and intention with these questions, but his choice of questions - how he words them - belies his stated intention.

Interpretations and kitchen table psychology. I already expressed my psych evaluation to him. I think he feels intimidated. The hostility you see in his post is the result of fear. Imagine your feeling when a guy with a big gun enters the room and you are unarmed. For him it's the same when someone with a big brain enters the room.

Does this resemble research to you? We got all of the same data he did reading the comments here. My research reveals that the purpose of this thread is what I stated. I gave my evidence (actually, @Shadow Wolf presented it nicely), my argument (nobody is asking sincerely when he writes, "Is it possible for a highly intelligent person to not be arrogant?), and my conclusion.

You won't be seeing the results of any research from the OP.

Probably not but I like to give him a chance - and the assurance that he won't be mocked by me. Fairly criticized, yes, but in a rational way.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

But as highly intelligent person I can separate my feelings from the facts. And fact is that @Landon Caeli didn't accuse me of being cruel or arrogant. (He did it to @Shadow Wolf, though.)

The facts are he has taken broad strokes at all intelligent people. He wonders if a single one of us is free of arrogance, and his bar for arrogance is so low that when stating you are one of those he's targeting you are arrogant. Sharing experiences of prejudice made against you by people who are intimated by intelligence is arrogance, only because you used a common expression. And a point against his claim of research, his assumed research wisdom revolving around highly intelligent people and cruelty was barely addressed by him, and instead his questions have heavily revolved around arrogance. I listed them. Cruelty is nearly absent. Arrogance, however, takes center stage and without him even establishing why either cruelty or arrogance is bad. At most we are given anecdotal evidence of extreme examples, but behavior that is not exclusive to highly intelligent people (indeed, the Catholic church is very guilty of the same general wrong doing when it comes to other denominations and religions, and often very slow to make amends).

 

[Cooky]

The facts are he has taken broad strokes at all intelligent people. He wonders if a single one of us is free of arrogance, and his bar for arrogance is so low that when stating you are one of those he's targeting you are arrogant. Sharing experiences of prejudice made against you by people who are intimated by intelligence is arrogance, only because you used a common expression. And a point against his claim of research, his assumed research wisdom revolving around highly intelligent people and cruelty was barely addressed by him, and instead his questions have heavily revolved around arrogance. I listed them. Cruelty is nearly absent. Arrogance, however, takes center stage and without him even establishing why either cruelty or arrogance is bad. At most we are given anecdotal evidence of extreme examples, but behavior that is not exclusive to highly intelligent people (indeed, the Catholic church is very guilty of the same general wrong doing when it comes to other denominations and religions, and often very slow to make amends).

Do you honestly believe that I consider myself anything other than highly intelligent?

Think about that for a minute.

 

[Cooky]

I have my suspicions. But as highly intelligent person I can separate my feelings from the facts. And fact is that @Landon Caeli didn't accuse me of being cruel or arrogant. (He did it to @Shadow Wolf, though.)
I try to act rationally here, not emotionally and I afford Hanlon's Razor to everyone until proven otherwise.

Interpretations and kitchen table psychology. I already expressed my psych evaluation to him. I think he feels intimidated. The hostility you see in his post is the result of fear. Imagine your feeling when a guy with a big gun enters the room and you are unarmed. For him it's the same when someone with a big brain enters the room.

Probably not but I like to give him a chance - and the assurance that he won't be mocked by me. Fairly criticized, yes, but in a rational way.

My purpose was to explore other peoples views on 'intelligence', how they view it, what value they place on it, and compare intelligence with kindness, to see where people stand.

...Regardless of what words or statements I used to achieve that goal. I feel like this was successful.

 

[Cooky]

I don't play that game. His posts reek of passive-aggressive intentions as he attempts the shield his insults as "research."

You're stuck in character (playing the part of the "highly intelligent"). This is much larger than that. Try to break through and enlighten your mind, please.

...Simple people tend to get stuck in tribal mindsets. There really are no tribes here, as you seem to assume.

 

[Cooky]

No, you're not.

Well, you have every right to leave but considering that this was a "research project", it would be nice if you'd humour us with your conclusion.

Has your question been sufficiently answered?
Do you think that intelligent people are inherently cruel?
What are the most important data points that informed your conclusion?

Publish or perish.

I've gathered enough information to know, as I hoped, that people don't wrongfully assume that high intelligence equates to cunning cruelty. That was a relief, and was the research I wanted to know.

I hope kindness always prevails. And I hope I got the wheels turning.

...One thing that I still haven't learned is on what level people value high intelligence, and whether it is prioritized above or below kindness... I'd like to explore that further.

 

[Cooky]

Sure we do. You wanted to let us know how much you dislike the highly intelligent, but you believe that your religion forbids you from saying so explicitly, so you take a passive-aggressive approach.

I wonder if you know that that is why you are here.

LOL.

I already said the reason I started this thread was because of one person. Actually for that person... Of course I didn't mention that until the end, because I didn't want to make this personal, but rather, wanted everyones honest opinion, to explore and research the topic.

What is unfortunate, to me, is the negative lording-over of the second sentence, which lacks kindness. And is totally incorrect. And arrogant.

 

[Cooky]

l. He thinks he's concealed his feelings and intention with these questions, but his choice of questions - how he words them - belies his stated intention.

Does this resemble research to you? We got all of the same data he did reading the comments here. My research reveals that the purpose of this thread is what I stated. I gave my evidence (actually, @Shadow Wolf presented it nicely), my argument (nobody is asking sincerely when he writes, "Is it possible for a highly intelligent person to not be arrogant?), and my conclusion.

You won't be seeing the results of any research from the OP.

LOL... You really don't have a clue.

...But let me ask you this: Do you assume that I am not highly intelligent and that you are..? And if so, is this why you think you can assume and guess flawed attributes toward me? Because you're absolutely wrong in everything you said above, though, arrogance and pride may or may not play a part in your willingness to accept this.

Will arrogance and pride win you over? Or kindness and enlightenment..? I wonder.

 

[Revoltingest]

I already said the reason I started this thread was because of one person. Actually for that person... Of course I didn't mention that until the end.....

I think you'd best keep'm all guessing....for the good of the forum.

Ya know.....you're betraying superior intelligence here.
I am in awe, standing in the shadow of greatness.
But.....

 

[Revoltingest]

....so you take a passive-aggressive approach.

The thread isn't what you think...it's clever performance art.
No intelligent person should be threatened or offended.

 

[Heyo]

I've gathered enough information to know, as I hoped, that people don't wrongfully assume that high intelligence equates to cunning cruelty. That was a relief, and was the research I wanted to know.

The "Evil Mastermind" makes a good villain in a story but most people realize that that is not realistic. Also, even if they don't realize it, most people know about 3 Mensa level intelligent people personally and they are rarely cunning and cruel.

I hope kindness always prevails. And I hope I got the wheels turning.

...One thing that I still haven't learned is on what level people value high intelligence, and whether it is prioritized above or below kindness... I'd like to explore that further.

Most people, even most highly intelligent people, value kindness higher than intelligence.