[lit-ideas] Re: Sunday waffle...
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2005 10:15:20 -0400
> [Original Message]
> From: Steven G. Cameron <stevecam@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 6/2/2005 9:11:28 AM
> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Sunday waffle...
>
>
>
> Paul Stone wrote:
>
> > ...The guys who own the local HVAC
> > companies all have nice big houses and shiny cars while the doctors,
> > engineers and professors live in a bungalows and drive 8 year old
compact cars.
> >
>
> **It's quite true -- my town is filled with them. But shouldn't the
> ideal be a where earnings and respect are derived from abilities and
> well accomplished, effective work (meritocracy), rather than based
> solely on inherent intellectual talent??
>
A.A. I don't think intellectual talent is a prerequisite for being a doctor
or lawyer. Anyone who wants to be a doctor or lawyer can be one. Going
through professional training is far more about drive than intelligence.
Doctors, lawyers, engineers, even college professors, are no more
intellectually talented than anyone else. They're not even particularly
more intellectually curious than anyone else. For nearly everyone,
whatever they do is just a job. Many doctors/lawyers, etc. are untalented
and even stupid. I would say experience in any field is more important
than intellectual talent. I would go one step further and say that many
overachieving successful types are basically covering up some inner
inadequacy, hence the need to overachieve. Not all, but many. None of
this is to say that intellectual standards should be lowered for those who
do go on to a university, only that intelligence per se is not a major
consideration in career plans.
Andy
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