We need to talk about pseudo-intellectuals

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Intro music: Smooth and Cool by Nico Staf
Outro music: Lensko Let’s Go

Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:24 Appeal to authority fallacy
4:55 Pseudo-intellectuals vs. shady intellectuals
8:34 Characteristics of a pseudo-intellectual
17:58 Characteristics of a shady intellectual
21:15 Final thoughts

[julieblair]

The way short content has almost universally led people to assume everything is an excerpt of something more substantial... the fake podcasts are insane. They just look to the side and pretend they are making eye contact with someone who isn't there... while they say things like "Women are the cause of 92% of all divorce. That's why I sell supplements."

[Unkuuu]

A lot of theses “online intellectuals” don’t really know anything. They’ve just mastered the art of condescension lol

[musicalneptunian]

I have an expert witness in my family who appears in court cases to give expert evidence. One of the rules is if you honestly are not qualified to answer something you are required to say "that's outside of my expertise". For instance someone might have 40 years as a mechanic. But they are not a computer programmer so if asked "do you think that car X has well written code for its computer parts" the mechanic might say "not being a programmer that's outside of my expertise.". That's common and it's not held against the expert to do that. It isn't any gotcha moment that a lawyer steers for al all.

[phishdough]

According to the internet an intellectual is basically anyone who can own their opposition the hardest in a “debate”

[Mezog]

The black cat is the real expert here. I trust them to know how to steal my heart.

[GH-ofgm]

“Cosplaying the aesthetic of it” love that phrase.Another word for that is “sophistry”

[Spongebrain]

This is related to pseudo-intellectuals but also the people who, even if they are educated on one specific topic, they act like they're educated and qualified talk about every topic in general on a factual basis even if it's in a totally unrelated field

[misanthrophex]

A pseudo-intellectual is someone who cares about being perceived right, as opposed to searching for the truth. "I don't know" is a wonderful thing to say.

[KlassicKolt]

In my mind, a true intellectual is someone who searches for truth and yet doesn't double down on their belief system. An intellectual must be open to the idea that they may be wrong. And if the evidence is weighed against them, they put their ego aside and recognize that they need to reevaluate.

[kangkhita]

This helped me understand the whole Bee Better situation a lot more. TikTok is a cesspool of pseudo intellectuals. Balance is truly key when it comes to authority. Thanks for your input, Ana.

[lovegood]

I caught the dr todd shade Ana "dr of counselling education commenting on true crime" lmaoo

[sulimanthemagnificent]

What I don’t get is why people don’t just put their ideas out there, be open about their lack of knowledge and ask for other opinions instead of trying to assert superiority.

Those who need to assert their superiority, aren’t superior.

[tauntingeveryone]

One of the heuristics I use to tell if someone is an actual intellectual on the subject is whether they say it depends to more abstract questions. for example, does smiling improve your mood. It depends. Some research has found that smiling for an extended period does improve your mood. However other studies find that smiling for prolonged times might lead to fatigue in your mood. Like you said, science is rarely black and white. Even the "hard" sciences do not speak in absolutes. For example, there could be multiple universes depending on which interpretation of quantum mechanics. All in all, when you do not know something 9 times out of 10, if you say it depends you are most likely closer to the answer than most pseudo intellectuals.

[__nal]

I know a person who is anti-authority. I’ve seen him fantasize about an opportunity to make himself appear more like an intellectual. His insecurity is very obvious because the contempt his feels toward intellectuals lasts as long as he thinks he’s not a part of that group. Ironically, he could be more like an intellectual, without out the labels/degrees, by living like one. He could choose to fight against his own ignorance (like we all have a responsibility to do) through self-discipline and independent study, but instead he chooses to enthusiastically rebel against any kind of authority no matter how sound the argument. I see it as a complete waste of energy unfortunately.

[Pantheragem]

I'd rather the world think I'm dumber than I am, as opposed to smarter than I am.

[ZinniaGulden]

I don’t think devaluing authority figures is solely rooted in insecurity. I think it’s a factor, but we can’t just ignore the trauma and gaslighting that a lot of people experience from authority figures, especially from doctors and therapists. Some people truly are treated like crap by multiple professionals, leading to distrust.

[fungouslobster]

fr, people will watch tik tok and yt and think they're a psychologist and philosopher

[philathropistjosh]

The subject matter of your videos has been really interesting lately. I love the analysis of human behaviour and it has a lot of real life applications as well. Thanks for the quality content.

[abbielindell]

I think calling this out is imperative to media literacy and encouraging people to research things themselves 💗

[elonmusksellssnakeoil]

A good rule of thumb is the more they engage in obfuscation and obscurantism, the less trustworthy they are. True intellectuals explain clearly and concisely because they want you to understand what they are communicating.