Does a higher education make you smarter? Is liberals really smarter?

Hey guys you got to respect liberals and their sociology degrees.... They are soooo smart.

 

There is a difference between intelligence, something you just have genetically, and knowledge.

My uncle never went to college, but he's a wiz at carpentry and fixing things. He may not have the knowledge of many things I have, but he certainly has the smarts to come up with solutions to progrms. I have zero ability to do any of those things.

So intelligence has nothing to do with going to college. But you certainly know more things, may learn other skills, learn critical thinking by getting higher education.

Most of what people see in others as being "idiots" or lacking intelligence" is just their lack of ability for critical thinking, lack of knowledge, and IMO the biggest culprit, dishonesty. THey want to believe something so bad that they block out or dismiss all the facts otherwise.

nothing wrong with being unintelligent, its beyond your control. Nothing wrong with not knowing a lot of things. The worse thing is to think your ignorance is equal to someone elses' knowledge. Or not know anything, but think you do

I think that's the ire most people feel toward right wingers is because they know nothing, but think they know all because some TV program told them what to think. And they show it by being unable to support their position other than to deflect and dodge

 

Charles Kettering once said that "Knowledge and understanding are not the same thing- you can know a great deal and understand nothing."

Another man who taught success skills once told me that "If you know and understand, but you do not do- the knowledge and skill are wasted on you. It is what you do with what you know that make you exceptional."

College, for the most part- is exposure to knowledge, or what is represented to be knowledge. Had you attended the equivalent of a college in 1500, you would have probably been taught the world was flat. That was accepted knowledge at the time- but of course, wrong. The best evidence of being "smart' (which is a rather general and ill-defined term) is that you can accomplish things- exceptional things. The ability to make things happen that are useful and effective makes you valuable; it is your5 knowledge and understanding put to work- and getting results. Smart in action.

Google a question searching for successful people who did not go to or graduate from college, and you will find a long list of famous names you already know... people who gained knowledge more by observation and self-study, driven by curiosity and creativity- and coupled it with a drive to know how or why things worked... understanding.

Schools are everywhere, everyday- all around us, the opportunity to learn. While learning from those who came before us is good and usually helpful, it it the drive, the hunger to know and understand and perform that makes people smart enough to succeed. Where you get it is less important than the fact you have it.

 

It's true, advanced studies are a complete waste of time - when I needed a hernia operation, I made sure the surgery was performed by the hospital janitor - cause he seemed to be the one who, "really understood" the problem.

 

No doubt they are City smart but lack common sense

Me and my old dog were out pluggin prairie dog one afternoon and this guy and his girlfriend in a little Subaru gas sipper with New York plates flagged me down wanting to know if they were on the right dirt road to a point of interest in the area, and they were. Only it was another 25 miles in to the high desert and on the edge of one the world largest drifting sand dunes so you never know if you can reach it with a proper vehicle let alone a Subaru. While I was explaining that to them I notice they had four small bottles of water and some salty ass chips and I asked them if that was all they had and they said yes, "no gun?" no sir, "any other food or water?" no sir again. I went on to explain this is not a wise decision and I advised they turn around and prepare properly but he assured me they were capable, so I simple bid them good journeys and continued my afternoon of Prairie Dog extermination.

It's even more fun when the rainbow folks visit

 

that's one of those questions that tends to irritate hell out of me because it indicates a confusion about the relationship between intelligence, wisdom, and knowledge. Intelligence is the ability to acquire Knowledge, wisdom the ability to use the knowledge you have acquired knowledge is a tool set.. Most of us have acquired more knowledge than we will ever use effectively. I suspect most of the people here understand and can define the Pythagorean theory. But do you make effective use of that knowledge and its implications in your day to day lives? How many miles does the average person add to his daily commute because he doesn't bother to take hypotenuse of the triangle rather than going around the other two sides? There's the lot more than that. I had an English professor back in the day that was at a loss when I told him that 10% of 100k was ten times as much as 10% of 10k. For him it simply didn't compute. Then again he'd become and English professor because he'd spent the majority of his life avoiding math like the plague as soon as he had a choice.

 

In which case you'd be and idiot because however much the janitor might sympathize with your problem he hasn't the tool set to solve your problem because he's never acquired it. (And yes I know your being facetious, but It is a nice example of what I was talking about earlier. By the way the hospital could get in all sorts of trouble having the doctor do the clean up because he doesn't know the protocols involved in properly disposing of bio-hazards produced by the hospital in it's day to day operations.

 

Most colleges no longer teach the socratic method, they teach critical theory.

So no, critical thinking is not enhanced simply by going to college, in fact, it's retarded by it.

 

Depends on the profession. Obviously in medicine, you want someone with a deep history in it. Something like an Operations Manager...you can take a high school kid, show him project coordination, then project management, this you have an Operations Manager.

(My brother)

 

More liberals go to college than do conservatives. Is that the point of this thread, and the vitriolic responses within it?

Intelligence is a function of the raw equipment one has; their capacity. It stands apart from one's morality; it stands apart from one's knowledge of a discipline; it stands apart from one's belief systems - to a point.

That more liberals become more conservative as they age than the converse I believe stands as the best judge of the question the OP poses.

 

yeah but how many places actually teach critical thinking skills to students? I went through some of the best education in the US (top 50 public high school, top 5 engineering school) and still came out with limited critical thinking skills.

It wasn't until I went out and learned how to live life that I figured that stuff out.

 

I had two topics I wanted to discuss and the first was that having a higher education in my opinion does not make you smarter and the second was that liberals claim to be smarter because they have more higher educated people according to a study. I feel everyone has the potential to be just as smart as the next person. A degree might give you more knowledge for a specific job but that does not make you smart and I don't think liberals are any smarter than conservatives.

Obama is a good example of this. He supported Black Lives Matter. Bill Clinton raped woman. They have higher educations but they act like they only have half a brain. The left protests in the streets and hurt people. Many of them college students. How are they smarter? Liberals act like they are better than everyone else and that is where they make one of their biggest mistakes. It makes them look like they don't care about the many problems many American's deal with. That is part of the reason they lost the election.

A degree means nothing if your not smart enough to put it to good use. My final teacher in college gave every student in the class a passing grade as long as they did the test so anybody with half a brain can go to college and get a degree. it's not that hard. That does not make you smart. Many that go to college get a degree and then do nothing with it.

Here is 8 people that never went to college but were smart:

Steve Jobs (Apple)
Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways)
Dave Thomas (founder and CEO of Wendy's)
David Green (founder of Hobby Lobby)
Larry Ellison (dropped out of 2 colleges and then started building databases for the CIA, founded Oracle Systems)
Kevin Rose (co founder of Revision3, Pownce, Milk, helped with Digg and is CEO of Hodinkee)
Micheal Dell (founder of Dell computers)
Rachel Ray (never attended college or had any extra training in culinary classes, has a net worth of 60 million without a higher education)

These people did pretty good for themselves so I can argue that any conservative is just as smart as an liberal. For me it all comes down to how mature you are and how you act that defines how smart you are.

Liberals need to stop acting like they are better then everyone else when they are not.

 

The data generally shows that being a Republican or having liberal attitudes correlates with a higher education, while being Democrat or having conservative attitudes correlates with lower education.

 

And they would need a gun, because...?

 

You used a verb associated with singular nouns to ask your question. You then followed that up by stating that you had a college degree, that it came relatively easy for you and that you were not that smart. "Are Liberals really smarter?" - places the plural verb in the present tense in its proper place before the noun, Liberals.

It really depends on the type and kind of degree one obtains. In a previous career, I used to watch newly flung college graduates enter the office without so much as a hint about how to draft a properly constructed sentence, let alone run a coherent though or idea out to its most logical conclusion. Yet, these people had college degrees.

Degree programs have changed dramatically over the decades. Degrees that have very little to do with the formulation of logic, typically don't reinforce lateral cognitive capacity nor do they tend to enhance right hemispheric development. Not all degree programs offer a strong basis for improved laterlization of whole brain functionality. However, I seriously doubt this fully explains the inability of recent college graduates who cannot pen a coherent sentence, or even identify, define and distinguish the components that make up a coherent sentence.

Merely "passing" a student when they do not yet exhibit a fundamentally sound set of learned skills has become far more of a political problem in our society than it used to be. At the same time, the ever present 'Academic Bureaucracy' seemingly existing for the sole purpose of doing as much damage as possible to young minds, has regressed the entire learning process in many public schools to the least and lowest common denominator. This results, too often, in High School students being graduated into Colleges and Universities without a well developed subset of highly formed classical academic skills, talents and capabilities.

When I was coming up, Mathematics, Composition, Economics, Classical Sciences, History, Political Sciences, Logic & Reason (Computer Sciences & Philosophy) and Physical Education, were the key components that formulated the launching point into a 'Well Rounded' education. However, we rarely hear that phrase anymore with respect to our educational systems. The notion of a 'Well Rounded' education seems to be in the distant past of most school districts that are publicly funded [apparently].

I have three (3) degrees including one PhD. I've thought about doing Postdoctoral work, but have found myself too engaged in building and running a successful business (thought part of that could very well be the basis for post doctorate). Though my formal education had resulted in multiple technical degrees in mathematics, physics and engineering, I have found World History to be the most compelling and the most interesting subject I have ever studied.

I did not vote for Donald Trump. I did not believe he was qualified for the role of the President. I believe he disqualified himself with his own conduct and with his own lack of understanding about matters which should be of significant importance to any Presidential candidate. I did not vote for Hillary Clinton, on the basis that I felt she was part of the problem and therefore (logically) could not possibly be part of the solution by definition.

Yet, those who continue to support Donald Trump, seem to do so without regard for basic and fundamental common sense. There seems to be a blatant disregard for extant reality among those strongly devoted to Trump. He [Trump] has found a way to tap into an apparent abyss of escapism among his supporters. It is a kind of vaulted temporal reality where alternating views, no matter how irrational or illogical they tend to be, are not merely accepted but are indeed embraced warmly by those who don't mind taking the psychedelic journey into the Trump branded Neverland of misapplied or outright hallucinated facts that would cause Peter Pan himself to blush.

The Trumpesphere, is filled to the brim with the dulling down potion that the willing few seem so eager to swallow. They continually watch as Trump delivers one rouge-like episode after another and then doubles down on his own anarchical behavior by completely rejecting any notion that what he just did was in anyway wrong or untoward. Yet, Trumpets remain in lockstep behind their 'Weirdest' Leader.

Does this have something to do with their level of education? I don't know the answer to that question, but I would suspect that if more Trumpets had a genuine education, they might be in a better position to determine that for themselves.

 

Could be. Truth be told, I was stoned & an adulterer @ the time I'd posted, & couldn't resist some cheek.

 

Elon Musk (Founder: Tesla and Space X)

Preparing for the first mission to Mars and developing the bespoke technology to make it happen, I would say that merely becoming wealthy after dropping out of college is not necessarily a mark of true progression. The technology now being developed by Space X, gives me goosebumps, literally. At the time I came out of college having my first degree in Aerodynamics, there were no jobs [worth mentioning] in Aerospace. Today, thanks to Elon and his work in College (no doubt), Aerospace is set to become one of the world's biggest industries.

I always knew the future would revolve around Space Sciences and Space Science Technology. I just never knew that I would live to see the embryonic phases of what will ultimately become something like a "Star Fleet Academy" in my lifetime. What you see talking place at Space X today, will no doubt be looked upon in the future as the point where a "Global Star Fleet" was instantiated.

E2 is out there. Thanks to the work being done at Space X today (others will come along later), we will reach out and colonize it.

These kinds of technologies demand expertise only obtained through advanced education.

 

Liberals get BS degrees in "ologies" and think they're smart.

 

Education means nothing unless you have the critical thinking skills necessary to discern between fallacy and validity.
The left constantly argues with/from fallacy.
There you go.

 

Seems today a Harvard grad has learned how to repeat what he or she has been told to think without free thought getting in the way.

 

No, they isn't.

 

The desire to be educated and following through on that desire makes one smarter. Mere purchase of undifferentiated education product in whatever from wherever does not make one smarter, and risks making one dumber. Unlike most private sector workers, public sector workers, particularly teachers, are paid more merely for having advanced degrees. Is someone with 4 degrees in education, communications, sociology, political science who has never worked in the private sector smarter than an entrepreneur with a single college degree or especially a holder of a single STEM degree? Unlikely.

Being "smarter" correlates with higher income. Trump not only won white college grads, but also the top three income quintiles. Connect the dots.

 

This topic was intended to consider whether or not liberals/nonconservatives are more intelligent than conservatives. It is not meant to address if they are more condescending or insulting, but thanks for the data point nonetheless.

Your post is full to overflowing with condescension. Let me shed light - light you are unwilling to consider - regarding why Trump still has the support of so many (including me).

We have no choice. Can you explain how NOT supporting Trump will result in a favorable outcome to supporting Trump, since the enemy which has been identified by the vast majority of Trump supporters is Government itself? Government insiders, Deep State operatives; the overarching bureaucracy which has swallowed American ingenuity and opportunity, and regurgitates only those portions to those they deem 'deserving'?

The same Government that has harnessed the envy of the unwashed masses against the "rich", and plays them like a fiddle while each and every policy that gets voted for results in only one thing: the continued expansion and power accumulation of Government itself?

What has Trump done to justify abandonment by those who agree with who and what is the enemy here? More importantly, what entity would replace Trump to carry such a torch in his absence?

You confuse support of Trump with support of what Trump's presence does. Trump represents the fly in the ointment of this continuing crushing globalism/centralism/socialism, even if he himself is awkward, brash, immature and communicatively clumsy. He does some things extremely well, and that's all that is necessary in order to continue to support his presence and his purpose.

You sound like someone who loves wearing jackets with suede elbow patches and regularly finds his neck sore from holding his nose so high. You have either no understanding of what has been identified by millions as the enemy, or you have no concern about it.

Neither option justifies your disdain for those who support Trump, nor does it legitimize calling their intelligence into question. Perhaps the real problem is your failure to be smart enough to understand the underlying reason that support exists, and has not waned, despite the best efforts of antagonists from all fronts to undermine it.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with escapism. Had that been the motivation, these supporters would have done what you did: vote for no one.

 

Liberals are too smart for elections and petty nonsense like that, which is why they keep losing them...

 

Your reply was predictable and hypocritical. You claim my post was condescending when I explained to you how someone can graduate from college and still be a complete fool. Yet, the OP itself started from a point of condescension by asking the question in the first instance. Either you don't understand the twisted logic behind such a statement, or you don't know how to formulate a contra-argument.

You initiated a premise. That premise was false. Yet, your premise never addressed the issue of causation. How can you ever hope to demonstrate something without a predicate based in causation? Or, do you even understand the question being asked?

And, you graduated from college with this kind of self-defeating logic? Your question makes no sense. Using your own words, you just asked me to explain how not doing something supports doing something. That's irrational. Your question is not even structurally sound, let alone something that a genuine educated individual would proffer.

Review and re-write your question until it actually makes sense and is logically fluid. And, don't call me condescending when you can't even formulate a proper sentence.

You kids these days are unreal. You don't know anything, but you know everything.