Defining Terms

We have forgotten the definitions of some of our most useful combative words. The result is that we say something different from what we mean, and then wonder why it doesn’t have the intended effect on our adversaries. This is true for the young political zealot all the way up to the radio talk show host (old political zealot).

In this blog, the following definitions shall apply:

Intelligent, Smart — How well one thinks. An evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of one’s powers of thought and observation. It is a statement about the workings of the physical brain, not the amount of knowledge in the brain. Intelligence tends to not change much over time. One who lacks intelligence is an idiot or moron.

The opposite of intelligent and smart are stupid and dumb.

Wisdom — How well one makes choices. Wisdom is skill at making correct decisions and resolving conflict. It is common sense or sensitivity. It is knowing the right thing to do. One need not be smart to become wise, though intelligence helps in the accumulation of wisdom over time. Wisdom can be gained by learning, particularly through personal experience, or by good advice, which is learning through the experiences of others. Wisdom can increase over time if we pay attention and are masochistically honest with ourselves. Wisdom can also decrease, particularly if we attempt to rationalize prejudices or faulty conclusions that are based on incorrect beliefs. Wisdom is the most important word on this page.

The opposite of wise is foolish. These are both words we badly need to put back into our common vocabulary.

Knowledge, Education — How much one knows. The learning one has retained. One’s education is not a direct indicator of one’s intelligence, though a higher intelligence will speed up one’s learning. Education/knowledge can help with acquiring wisdom because the principles of wisdom can be learned. But, regrettably, so can the principles of foolishness. And we find a ready supply of willing teachers.

The opposite of knowledge is ignorance.

We have a tendency to write off those who disagree with us by saying something like “He’s an idiot.” This is usually ineffective because our opponents can simply say, “No, he isn’t,” and they win because it is obvious to all that the individual in question is clearly not someone with an abysmal I.Q. Though one cannot be both smart and stupid at the same time, it is quite possible to be a brilliant or educated fool. In fact, the more impressed one is with his own brilliance or education, the more foolish he is likely to be. This is one reason we find many universities littered with scientists and scholars who routinely say and do spectacularly foolish things.