Post #22 On Pseudo-Intellectualism...

I have many intellectual interests. I love watching documentaries, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, etc. I do not claim to be an expert in anything, but I do have a pretty good working knowledge of several topics. That is why it drives me nuts when someone acts as if they are an expert in an area that they are just plainly ignorant in.

I work with someone who is like this. He acts as if he knows everything about everything. He cannot be reasoned with and he has all of the answers.

Why does this make me so crazy? I think it is because the underlying presumption when someone acts this way is that they have finished learning. I guess the other thing that bothers me about this is that this coworker believes that he is much smarter than he really is. Pseudo-intellectual. It makes me pity him a bit. That, to me, is a depressing thought. When we fail to learn more, we fail to truly experience life. Every day has an opportunity to teach us something.