"well educated" fools

[dannyf]

I raised the observation awhile back that education doesn't mean intelligence, as evidenced by the countless "well educated" fools I have seen in my life.

The latest example is in a boston.com report where a Harvard professor was trying to shake down a small restaurant owner for a few dollars. The professor ended up issuing an apology, and in the process getting his reputation and potentially lucrative consulting contracts ruined.

If you read up on the professor, he seems quite extraordinary in that he graduated two years with a PhD out of Harvard, among others (Harvard undergrate, Harvard Law and HBS professorship, etc.).

He threw away so much for so little.

Amazing.

[dannyf]

And this is on the heels of the Gruber story, for an equally gifted guy, from MIT Econ (every bit as prestigious as HBS). At least Gruber's sin is telling the 'inconvenient' truth - actually, I think he said the undesirable but obvious, for millions of dollars, versus the Harvard guy who did it for a few dollars.

Both are so smart that they are stupid.

[dannyf]

Here is the Boston.com story: http://www.boston.com/food-dining/restaurants/2014/12/09/harvard-business-school-professor-goes-war-over-worth-chinese-food/KfMaEhab6uUY1COCnTbrXP/story.html

[c4757p]

Breaking: Assholes exist.

More at 11.

[FrankenPC]

There's ego driven genius's like Steve Jobs.  And there's OC disorder genius artists like Wozniak.  I prefer the OC genius.  Ego genius's can be a terrible assholes.

[calexanian]

Ego geniuses works until he can make you believe he is right. OC geniuses works until he is right.

[Paul Moir]

I think the big difference isn't due to intelligence (by whatever dubious metric ) but actually being insulated from the rest of society.  They simply do not know that the person they're dealing with is a human being just like them.

Back when I used to work construction,  we avoided professors and medical doctors like the plague.  At best they were troublesome clients and at the worst they were litigious.  Engineers, lawyers, etc, no problem at all.  And I should say for the exception that a psychiatry PhD was one of the best, but he did have a practice with actual clients.

[george graves]

And there's OC disorder genius artists like Wozniak. I prefer the OC genius.

Ego geniuses works until he can make you believe he is right. OC geniuses works until he is right.

Am I the only one that find it odd that this forum seems to celebrate mental disorders like OC (OCD), and asperger's.  In some threads people almost seem to brag about it.

Don't kill the messenger - I'm just pointing out an observation.

Online Aspergers syndrome test.  (Read 5068 times)  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/online-aspergers-syndrome-test/

Topic: Du you got aspergers, and does it explane your intrest in electronics?  (Read 3636 times)  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/du-you-got-aspergers-and-does-it-explane-your-intrest-in-electronics/

[KJDS]

There is significant inverse correlation between intelligence and common sense. I've yet to meet a PhD with much in the way of nous

[coppice]

There is significant inverse correlation between intelligence and common sense. I've yet to meet a PhD with much in the way of nous

I think inverse correlation is the wrong perspective. There are a lot of PhDs who achieve a depth of understanding by the total abandonment of breadth.

[coppice]

Closer to electronics, William Shockley was a Nobel winner with a seriously nasty attitude about mankind.

[scatha]

Brian Josephson was another Nobel laureate who subsequently became a bit of a weirdo.

[dannyf]

Brian Josephson was another Nobel laureate who subsequently became a bit of a weirdo.

Quite a few of such examples.

As to "racist", well, that's more of a tool used by some to push their agenda.

[tggzzz]

There is significant inverse correlation between intelligence and common sense. I've yet to meet a PhD with much in the way of nous

I've met many PhDs with nous - more than without nous, in fact.

Don't pidgeon-hole people: that way lies racism, sexism, and all sorts of other undesirable attitudes.

[Yago]

When you look at all those weird people listed (Shockley etc), The Big Bang Theory could have been a whole lot different show!

That said, the doctors I met (Phd!) have all been of good sense and wide ranging abilities.

[zapta]

There is significant inverse correlation between intelligence and common sense. I've yet to meet a PhD with much in the way of nous

I've met many PhDs with nous - more than without nous, in fact.

Don't pidgeon-hole people: that way lies racism, sexism, and all sorts of other undesirable attitudes.

It's called eduphobia.  noun.  dislike of or prejudice against people with higher education.

It's very common in these forums and the moderators seem to be ok with it.

[KJDS]

There is significant inverse correlation between intelligence and common sense. I've yet to meet a PhD with much in the way of nous

I've met many PhDs with nous - more than without nous, in fact.

Don't pidgeon-hole people: that way lies racism, sexism, and all sorts of other undesirable attitudes.

It's called eduphobia.  noun.  dislike of or prejudice against people with higher education.

It's very common in these forums and the moderators seem to be ok with it.

Given that I have a Masters degree I'm very unlikely to suffer from eduphobia.

[zapta]

Given that I have a Masters degree I'm very unlikely to suffer from eduphobia.

Well, your earlier expression of eduphobia "I've yet to meet a PhD with much in the way of nous" was against people with degrees higher than yours so it's a perfect match.  ;-)

[KJDS]

Given that I have a Masters degree I'm very unlikely to suffer from eduphobia.

Well, your earlier expression of eduphobia "I've yet to meet a PhD with much in the way of nous" was against people with degrees higher than yours so it's a perfect match.  ;-)

I'm not scared of education, or of those with a higher degree than mine. I was just stating what I've found in life.

[Richard Crowley]

Look at that Watson guy. Discovered the structure of DNA, undoubtedly one of the greatest living biologists, but also a massive racist and general asshat.

Or Charles Darwin. It is no longer Politically Correct to quote the ENTIRE title of his famous book: "The Origin of Species by Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life".  And there are whole segments of his philosophy that are hidden on the back shelf as "unenightened".

As others have observed, if highly-educated and focused people were generally well-rounded, TV sitcom shows like "Big Bang Theory" would never have been proposed, much less produced and become so popular.

[zapta]

I am not scared of education, or of those with a higher degree than mine. I was just stating what I've found in life.

If have have a Masters degrees you probably met many phds and professors at the university. I doubt that none of them had nous as you claim.

[c4757p]

It's hilarious that you people think educated people lack common sense or tend to have improper views. Have you met normal people? Not a hell of a lot more of it there...

[zapta]

As others have observed, if highly-educated and focused people were generally well-rounded, TV sitcom shows like "Big Bang Theory" would never have been proposed, much less produced and become so popular.

Here is one counter anecdote

[_Sin]

Or Charles Darwin. It is no longer Politically Correct to quote the ENTIRE title of his famous book: "The Origin of Species by Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life".

Political correctness? Or just correctness? The title of the book is "On the Origin of Species", and has been since the sixth (and largely definitive) edition was published in 1872.

Not that there's anything politically *incorrect* about Darwin's original sub-title, unless you completely misunderstand what it means.

[zapta]

Not that there's anything politically *incorrect* about Darwin's original sub-title, unless you completely misunderstand what it means.

Didn't get it. Can you explain?