In life, you can find a lot of examples of people who read a lot of books, fill their vocabulary with new words, are interested in different things, know a lot of curious information. But, starting to communicate with these people, an exciting fact catches the eye: the level of cognitive abilities of these people leaves much to be desired.
Yes, it is not difficult to find some information, remember it, and then tell someone in a conversation. But to make own conclusions based on the received data, having preliminary critically estimated and analyzed it, is essentially another level.
The same applies to the independent search of answers to all kinds of questions that cannot be taken from the existing knowledge, such as the articles and books read, documentaries and programs watched, lectures and seminars attended. Some people are entirely unable to use the information they have with practical benefit for themselves.
Meanwhile, there may be another situation: in front of us, quite an intelligent person with a high intellect, but, despite this, from his lips, we hear some outrageous nonsense, and the conclusions he draws are incorrect or even absurd. We could put it down to the “incompetence” of the person, but we understand (and even know for sure) that he is not a fool. He has a sharp mind and a lot of valuable skills and abilities.
Faced with such things, one can only raise his hands, because how does it happen: either the erudite, well-read, and knowledgeable person is not very good at thinking, or the clever and witty person speaks some nonsense? But if to think about it, it is not difficult to see that there is no contradiction. In this article, the paper help company talk at length about why erudition and intelligence only work together.
Reasons for the “confrontation” between erudition and intellect
We will not be mistaken if we say that the human mind is a very complex structure, which consists of a whole complex of components, one of which is just the intellect and erudition (and they belong to the category of primary). They can be briefly characterized as follows:
• intellect is a person’s ability to process information;
• erudition is a person’s ability to assimilate and reproduce the data (a product of memory).
In an ideal scenario, both of these abilities should be developed to the same degree. But is there even one perfect person among humans? We think there is not. On top of everything else, each person has a unique personality formed and develops under certain conditions. That is why there are situations where one person has the more developed intellect and another – erudition.
It is worth noting that this happens both with mental abilities and with physical ones. For example, some people can run a hundred meters in a few seconds but cannot lift heavy weights, and some can lift 120-kilogram barbell, but they better not make sprints.
A person will constantly actively develop only those abilities to which he pays attention. By training the muscles, you can achieve tremendous strength, and running and the development of the respiratory system can develop enviable endurance. There is nothing tricky here.
Everyone has a predisposition to developing a particular characteristic of the physical body or mind. But still, the most crucial thing in any endeavor is regular and systematic training. Lying on the couch and watching TV, it’s foolish to dream of a boxing champion title or conquering mountain peaks. And with mental abilities, the situation is the same.
People who have excellent erudition and a broad outlook, but are characterized by poorly developed thinking abilities, often have a wonderful memory but a low level of intelligence. As a rule, this happens because they do not have a high IQ or any other abilities, and they do not even try to develop them but use what they have: they perceive information and assimilate it in a ready-made form. It turns out that they train their memory but forget about their intellect.
The situation is just the opposite for those who have natural wit and good thinking skills but with very little knowledge. These people think great and can conclude, but with limited information, they can not objectively analyze the correctness of their arguments and conclusions. Their conclusions conform to what they know.
With all this said, some might think, “What’s the big deal: people are different, they all have different abilities, they all have different needs and desires after all. So why not let people be who they are? We do not urge anyone to change immediately in this or that direction (everyone is free to make his own choice). However, we still want to note that erudition without intellect and a mind without erudition can play into a person’s hands.
What’s wrong with erudition without intelligence
If the components of the mind are developed unevenly, it can negatively impact both the person himself and the people around him. The first thing to note here is an overestimation of ability. When a person, with his erudition, makes an impression of himself as a confident, wise man, he puts himself at risk of not being able to fulfill the tasks assigned to him if they require him to have a developed intellect and the ability to synthesize information, rather than simply repeating what is known.
If all is well, the situation is standard. It does not require the use of any new tools. A person with developed erudition and undeveloped intellect will efficiently accomplish the work in front of him. But in the case of the need to use a non-standard approach or tools unknown to such a person, serious difficulties arise.
On the other hand, erudition without intelligence quite often leads to a lack of critical approach. When one absorbs information without analyzing it thoroughly, one displays an excessive trust in its source and is easily influenced by experts and authorities.
Indeed, something of this kind is peculiar to all of us (for example, no scientist can understand all the sciences, and when faced with something beyond his competence, he will trust other authoritative scientists). However, still, the complete absence of critical thinking can produce blind faith. And the latter, as practice shows, is often far from the actual state of affairs.
What is wrong with intelligence without erudition?
People with high intelligence but little knowledge and poor erudition are prone to delusion. Yes, such individuals can quickly find a solution to almost any non-standard problem to get out of a difficult situation. Still, their conclusions, in many cases, turn out to be erroneous.
When a person operates with insufficient information on any issue, he creates obstacles to an objective assessment. The fact that his picture of the world does not include certain things leads to deliberately biased conclusions, and in many situations, it is they who can play a decisive role.
Incorrect or incorrect conclusions lead to a dead end and the person himself and those with whom he interacts, which can be dangerous. One does not have to look far for examples: we can recall people’s ideas about a flat Earth, medieval beliefs that people who can heal with herbs are devil’s minions, or the phlogiston theory of combustion, which states that all substances contain phlogiston, a sense that volatilizes during combustion.
Knowledgeable but uneducated people (by the way, you are advised to read our article “High IQ problems”) give a start to failed projects, open businesses doomed to failure, develop ideas that can’t stand any criticism. And all because of the lack of knowledge available to them, which does not allow for the subtleties and nuances. In this case, such people prefer not to use other people’s help because they are confident that they know everything.
It is easy to conclude that the two extremes discussed above can cause various unwanted changes in all areas of human life, starting with the household and relationships with partners ending with a career and business. Look around: life is full of examples when “skewed” in the development of erudition and intelligence bring in a lot of problems and troubles in people’s lives.
Is there a way out?
Let’s not exaggerate the colors – erudition without intelligence and intelligence without erudition – it’s not a sentence, and there is a way out of the situation. To begin with, you need to understand that these components of the mind must be in balance with each other. One must try not to allow one to start to dominate the other. How to achieve this?
When you receive new knowledge, assimilate and process it, then compare it to what you already know, make appropriate deductions, and synthesize the further information in your head. Simply put, think in the truest sense of the word-think, think, ponder.
Also, aspire not just to receive knowledge and “store” it in the storehouse of your mind, not to think over for the tenth time what you have already thought over and what you already know. Combine forms of intellectual activity.
You learned something new – your task is not to memorize – critically evaluate, do your analysis, ask a few questions to clarify something, understand the meaning deeper, and understand the reasons. And along with this will come memory, and it will come automatically – what is not another plus?
Everyone who recognizes themself in something mentioned in the article should form the habit of reasoning about something. It means finding clarifying facts, expanding your knowledge, and exercising your memory. Plus, if possible, it is desirable to apply what you know, at least occasionally, in practice. It will allow you to deepen your knowledge and make new conclusions to get real benefits.
Geniuses do exist, but they are very few. However, each person can significantly expand their knowledge, activate new abilities, and acquire exciting skills and skills needed in life. Doing this will allow a harmonious development of erudition and intelligence, which arises and balanced life, success, achieving goals, and good relations with others.
And, of course, we must never forget about the development of thinking (recall that this is what we thoroughly discussed in the article “Thinking Development. What to do to become smarter”), to take care of maintaining a clear mind and intelligence, to lead a lifestyle that allows you to prevent the degradation of the mind.
We hope you have enough motivation to be an intelligent and erudite person of high intelligence. As you know, the desire is half the battle, so all that is left to do is to follow the planned path and try not to turn away from it. We wish you success and harmonious all-around development!
