Hidden Intellectualism Gerald Graff

Despite that, this does not work to explain why Plato feels so strongly about equality in the just city. In working through this argument, there are many difficulties in connecting it to the question of justice. It is hard to say, initially,

Therefore, when teachers embrace a liberal approach, understudies may consider this to be an absence of control and show dishonest conduct.

In order to be truly educated, a person should be well rounded not in just tests of intelligence, but the tests of life as well. This poses the question would you rather be completely educated in one subject and be unable to answer basic questions, or have a general knowledge of the world and understanding of how to function in society. Too often we correlate having a high IQ and a high grade point average with the education level, but in reality is any of that helpful if you can’t put gas in your car. “We associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subjects and texts that we consider inherently weighty and academic” (Graff 244).

Thesis: Although some may argue that adversity is essential for uncovering innate talent, it is impossible for adversity alone to accomplish this; solely relying on adversity to bring out a certain character is a detrimental move that can ultimately lead to immoral decisions and negative impacts on both mental and physical states. In Freakonomics, Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt delve into schools from a teacher’s point of view, in which teachers are constantly under the pressure to secure both their jobs and reputations through corrupt methods. “If the entire school does poorly, federal funding can be withheld; if the school is put on probation, the teacher stands to be fired.” (p. 23)

In her book entitled „Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities” , Martha Nussbaum deals with topics regarding education all over the world but her main focus is on the United States and India, places that she has better knowledge of. For that reason, her main thesis is that by declining the study of the humanities the world can end up with some „useful profit makers rather than thoughtful citizens.” (142) Even though people want to replace the arts education and humanities with technology or technology education, Nussbaum does not say that the arts and humanities are neglected by individuals. She mostly thinks that they are somewhat feared because for example, humanities at the same time with art can heighten one’s creativity and imagination but as well as his or hers compassion.

Oral communication gives one the chance to defend and refute, while written text can not refute when questioned. It can be inferred through the story of Thamus in the Phaderus that written text promotes forgetfulness and the lack of truly understanding the subject. When one speaks upon a topic efficiently, it is because they believe in the information through their own logic, leading ultimately to

Argument Preparation #1: Nwoye sees technological advancements as good, not bad. The Christian culture advancements are symbols of technology. Nwoye uses “technology” as an escape from his culture’s pressures- or well, past culture’s

The goal of the usage of this fact is to show readers this common term does not reflect real traits of smart people and can be treated as an insult because of that. It is one of the few examples of Fridman’s appeals to readers’ logic. The essay is based on general data; the author mentioned schools and universities promote negative attitude to smart students: “Nerds are ostracized while athletes are idolized” (Fridman). But he did not use any statistical or science data to support his position. For example, Fridman could provide data about scholarships and other types of funding for sports and other activities.

Thus, following this theory, questions of morality can only be acquired through social learning. However, in Pinker’s opposition to this idea, he insists that together with the Noble Savage and Ghost in the Machine theories, the Blank Slate theory expresses a denial of human nature that is inspired by political considerations drawn from fears of inequality, imperfectability, determinism, and nihilism (Pinker, 137-194). Therefore, his biological and genetic-based assumptions have a connection to politics by challenging the typical liberal notions of equality and social justice. It is essential to note, however, that Pinker does not attribute human behavioral outcomes to genetics exclusively. He points out early in the book's preface that it will not be one of those that "says everything is genetic" (Pinker, viii).

Censorship: In more conservative societies, censorship is a lot more common. Anything seemingly unconventional or provocative is blocked out. I appreciate censorship in a sense that my eyes don’t have to see anything I don’t want to them to, and my ears won’t have to listen to something I don’t want to them to. Censorship is good when it comes to terrorist ideas, insults, and pornography (for lack of a better term.) It is not always harmful, but sometimes unnecessary.

In Hidden Intellectualism article, Gerald Graff begins the article with talking about “street smart” and that not everyone have to be good in school to be considered smart. He also said that schools and colleges overlook the intellectual of street smart. For Gerald Graff he noticed that he had intellectual when he noticed that he was using reason and arguments to talk about sports with his friends. Then Graff moves to saying that Intellectuals is looked down at and that he was scared to show the intellectual side of him because he was worried of people bullying him but when he was talking about sport he was sharing his intellectual without anyone knowing. Graf mentioned that sports is more intellectual than school.

Gerald Graff begins with his argument in the difference between book smarts and street smarts. Graff demonstrates that knowledge does not only exist in a scholastic form of thinking, but also in the form of “street smarts.” However, Mike Rose challenges the idea of intelligence can be measured by the amount of educational profile a person has. Both authors claim to have similarities in slight variations, but they argued differently and proved their stances. In Hidden Intellectualism, Gerald Graff states, “sports world was more compelling than school because it was more intellectual than school, not less.”

“How long can America remain a world-class power if we constantly emphasize social skills and physical prowess over academic achievement and intellectual ability?” Leonid Fridman uses this sentence to finalize his argument for why Americans should stop alienating its intellectual citizens. Fridman uses a few techniques to build his argument including word choice, factual based examples, and appeals to emotions. The text “America Needs its Nerds” could be very relatable for some people.

“America Needs Its Nerds” an article created by Leonid Fridman, puts forth a pertinent issue in today’s society: intellectually adept students are ostracized. Fridman argues that smart, curious students need to stop feeling ashamed for being smart and curious. Society needs to change because their current philosophy towards intellect is one of pessimism. Fridman develops these arguments in his essay by utilizing the rhetorical strategy of parallelism, drawing conclusions, and through his use of diction.

Itzel Garcia Nava Lea Bingham ENG 111. 104.108 Aug. 20, 2016 According to society, there are two types of intellectuals: the street smart and the book smart. To society, only book smart seems important while street smart is referred to as a waste of time.