 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 15:52:08
|
A pseudo intellectual is someone who pretends to be smart, but who does not put in the work or have the actual brainpower to be considered smart. Becoming a pseudo intellectual is easier then you think.
Step1. Read an obscure book on philosophy (something existential is always good, maybe from Camus, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, or Sartre) and remember the main points of the book. If you are truly pseudo, all you need to read are the Amazon.com reviews of the book. But having this obscure philosophy book in your repertoire is critical to any pseudo intellectual. Write down four or five key ‘ideas’ of the obscure philosophy book, and then work them into conversations with people. It is amazing at how easy it is to work in obscure philosophy into regular conversations with your friends and coworkers.
Step2. Read the Amazon.com reviews of a pop-culture or pop-science book once a year. Write down a few points from the book, and commit them to memory. This will keep your pseudo-status fresh. Nobody likes a pseudo intellectual who keeps brining up the same idea over and over. You need fresh new ideas to steal and make it sound like you are well-read and smart.
Step3. Once you have mastered someone else’s ideas and can drop them into conversations at will, learn to describe the ideas as if you find them interesting, but nothing new. A pseudo-intellectual is never impressed. Everyone else’s ideas are at best intriguing, ‘but you’re just not really sure about them.
Step4. Go to Hollywood and study the people there at least once in your life. These people are masters at being pseudo intellectuals, and for this they should be respected by us all. Don’t say anything when you go. Just walk around observing how the people there interact with each other. They all seem to do the minimal amount of cognitive work necessary to be considered human while spending most of their time grooming, socializing, shopping, and creating personal dramas for them to talk to each other about.
Tips & Warnings
Give credit to authors’ ideas whenever possible. It is tempting for the pseudo-intellectual to drop cool new ideas into conversations as if they were his or her own ideas. This is not necessary, and if you do run into true intellectuals, they will know you have stolen the idea and you will look stupid. It is actually even more impressive if you can drop big author names. People are impressed by this.
Never actually aspire to ‘do’ anything with your knowledge. This can set you up for crushing disappointment and ruin you in the eyes of others. A true pseudo intellectual only uses his bite-size elements of knowledge to impress, he or she does not use it to make the world a better place.
Do not try your pseudo tricks on true intellectuals. They will make you look stupid very fast. If you suspect someone is a true intellectual, deflect from your own pseudo status by asking good questions. If you cannot think of good questions to ask the true intellectual, ask flattering questions about how they became so smart. You might learn a few things that you can copy and then use to sound smart with other people.
Do not read too much! Reading too much can cut into your social calendar and cause you to actually become a true intellectual. You do not want to be a true intellectual because that is no fun and it can fill you with doubt. It is more fun to fake being smart and copy other peoples’ insights than to actually be smart and have to come up with your own original insights.
|
|
|
anna
Netherlands
730 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 16:20:48
|
Great advice 
Come on, Babylon and do the right thing: mention the source of your posting, since we can all see you are clearly plagiarising. Not as if i am particularly curious where you found this (it's a flat and dull piece), but you yourself wouldn't want to be 'pseudo-smart' now, would you?
Drop it! Lurker gave you a piece of his mind and why would you object, giving some of us here a rather heartless (and fairly stupid) piece of yours? |
When an old African dies, it is as if a whole library has burnt down.
Amadou Hampate Ba (Mali) |
 |
|
|
Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 16:40:41
|
Why dont you google it (the source) like you always do Ms. unemployed "teacher" who have the time to sit here day and night...
You think you have the right to tell me to "drop it!"? Who are you to tell me? Is it because you´re white you have this superior attitude? |
Edited by - Babylon on 30 Sep 2008 16:55:35 |
|
|
|
anna
Netherlands
730 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 16:59:29
|
If only that were true.........
You won't (and you don't have to) believe it: i am ill , probably some old woman's illness or maybe just the flu.
Lovely, really - home alone, big pot of coffee, hearing the rain tick on the windows, no one to bug me (but you), playing truant a bit. I think i'll take one extra day to 'recover fully' and then back to work it is. I can recommend it, Babylon. A little 'time-out' and you'll be ready to face all the unpleasant people again. But, give us the source - i am too weak to google, doctor said i should take it easy  |
When an old African dies, it is as if a whole library has burnt down.
Amadou Hampate Ba (Mali) |
|
|
|
MeMe
United Kingdom
541 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 17:02:53
|
Van harte beterschap, Anna ... geniet d'r maar van zal ik zeggen  |
It is better to die standing than to live on your knees - Ernesto Guevara de la Serna |
|
|
|
anna
Netherlands
730 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 18:24:28
|
Thanks MeMe, don't worry - i am enjoying every minute of it, een paar dagen 'schoolziek' .
Thanks Babylon, for deleting your rather tasteless message. |
When an old African dies, it is as if a whole library has burnt down.
Amadou Hampate Ba (Mali) |
|
|
|
Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 00:36:45
|
| Het sprekende Nederlands is ook smaakloos... |
|
|
|
Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 01:07:50
|
quote:
Originally posted by anna
If only that were true.........
You won't (and you don't have to) believe it: i am ill , probably some old woman's illness or maybe just the flu.
Lovely, really - home alone, big pot of coffee, hearing the rain tick on the windows, no one to bug me (but you), playing truant a bit. I think i'll take one extra day to 'recover fully' and then back to work it is. I can recommend it, Babylon. A little 'time-out' and you'll be ready to face all the unpleasant people again. But, give us the source - i am too weak to google, doctor said i should take it easy
So let´s see how I can respond to your little postings here... hmmm.. You are giving the advice to "Drop it!" and to take a Time out.. You also call my writing fairly stupid. And I agree, the whole writing is stupid, it is meant to be ironic which I was hoping a teacher with your great intellect (?) would notice.
So again I ask you: Who are you to tell me what to do?
You see, although you maybe an (unemployed or retired I suspect) teacher it does not give you the right to treat people outside your (former) classroom as if they were your pupils.
Is it so that you miss your job so much that you must be in here everyday telling people what they should do, how they should write, how they should act, write in a way that suits Anna or else they get a D-minus?
I am arrogant, yes I admit that. I do have a bad temper.
Can you admit that you are arrogant and maybe suffer from a superiority complex?
|
Edited by - Babylon on 01 Oct 2008 01:11:50 |
|
|
|
kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 06:44:24
|
quote:
Originally posted by anna
If only that were true.........
You won't (and you don't have to) believe it: i am ill , probably some old woman's illness or maybe just the flu.
Lovely, really - home alone, big pot of coffee, hearing the rain tick on the windows, no one to bug me (but you), playing truant a bit. I think i'll take one extra day to 'recover fully' and then back to work it is. I can recommend it, Babylon. A little 'time-out' and you'll be ready to face all the unpleasant people again. But, give us the source - i am too weak to google, doctor said i should take it easy
Anna, get well soon. My best wishes ...
This might be the site Babylon plagiarized.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2000106_become-pseudo-intellectual.html |
Edited by - kayjatta on 01 Oct 2008 06:47:16 |
|
|
|
anna
Netherlands
730 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 11:22:36
|
| Thanks Kay, feeling better already. So you found the link, what do you think about this 'natron'? Not very good, what do you think? |
When an old African dies, it is as if a whole library has burnt down.
Amadou Hampate Ba (Mali) |
|
|
|
anna
Netherlands
730 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 11:45:08
|
Hi Babylon, i am not considering myself to be arrogant nor am i suffering from a superiority complex, just like i am neither unemployed nor retired. Have to stick it out for another 8 years - maybe even 10 if our government follow up on their plans to raise the retirement age to 67.
So, the only thing i am 'guilty' of is being in the wrong age group -from your point of view, that is. Sorry girl, but for stating without plausible arguments that every woman over 50 is to be hated D-minus would be too good. And presenting someone else's writing (however bad) as your own would get you to be taken out of the exams altogether. Always mention your source!
Have a happy 'old age' anyway. |
When an old African dies, it is as if a whole library has burnt down.
Amadou Hampate Ba (Mali) |
|
|
|
Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 11:49:45
|
Anna, half of the postings here do not contain the sources so why so serious about it?
G.. It´s so nice to tease the besserwissers who always have a need to correct people... |
|
|
|
Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 11:57:22
|
| Babylon. i find the content of your first posting quiet interesting. thanks. |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
snuggels
960 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 20:52:18
|
Babylon
"Anna, half of the postings here do not contain the sources so why so serious about it?
G.. It´s so nice to tease the besserwissers who always have a need to correct people..."
Babylon
I think you are right that many do not quote there source for there statements which I think is wrong And that’s the problem ok if they have read it or its what they think its there opinion then say so do not state as fact . And that’s the problem
As I have said before when not in receipt of the facts any conclusions we come to are inevitably wrong.
I think your statement that you enjoy winding people up goers against the spirit of what this Forum is about so is it any wonder you get the reactions you do. It appears you take pleasure from this it which I think is childish and really quite sad
|
Edited by - snuggels on 01 Oct 2008 21:00:29 |
|
|
|
Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 21:54:48
|
Snuggles, but I think it is childish and sad that some people always have to correct others tiny mistakes! Those who are always quick to notice the smallest mistakes just for the sake of making themselves look better and brighter.. That is just extremely annoying. Besserwisser, a know-it-alls are extremely annoying.
And I dont think it is only my oipnion, but a general opinion.
I do know that normally sources have to be mention, but this is not school this is an open forum for everybody, even those who perhaps didnt go to high-school and didnt learn that when you quote a text you must mention the source.
Everybody has the right to express themselves no matter what education they have, right?
It is not some wiseguys job to come and point out all mistakes in their writings. |
|
|
|
Babylon
Sweden
691 Posts |
Posted - 01 Oct 2008 : 22:10:00
|
And know-it-alls are arrogant, no matter what Anna thinks about herself not being arrogant. You can tell she is by the way she responds to people.
So I am not the only **** around here.
|
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
