Neil Gene Engelman, age 15, of Harbine, Nebraska, for his question:
What is meant by an intellectual?
Case histories of word meanings begin with the reliable old Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, which shows several associated words, all related to the word "intelligent." Probing deeper into its roots, we find that our word is one of the most difficult to define in our entire language.
"Intelligent" is a sort of package word coined from older words meaning "between," "gather," "collect" and "select." From this background origin, we can assume that its basic meaning was intended to convey a very complex quality of having the ability to assemble separate items, see group relationships, make suitable selections or come to valid conclusions. We can take this to be a basic meaning of intelligence. And that quality is just about as involved, just about as difficult to define, as basic human nature itself.
We can stick to the strict basic meaning, using the word to treat the thinking processes of the human mind. At this level, we can use "intellectual" as an adjective to qualify a young person's struggle to master two and two. Math, science and other subjects that require mainly mental activity are intellectual occupations. As a noun, "intellectual" can be used as a tag for a person who chooses a career in any one of the intellectual occupations. We can refer to mathematicians and scientists, assorted scholars and certain writers as intellectuals because their life work is derived more from mental than physical activity.
But even the simplest word meanings are colored by the subtleties of human interpretation. What we convey outweighs what we say. Every word we use conveys some aspect of the user's personality. And since every one of us is a unique personality, different from every other, his words convey meanings that express his own unique opinions. This factor is especially significant in subtle words such as "intelligence" and "intellectual." In evaluating them, the alert listener also evaluates the person using them. Shades of meanings depend to a large extent on who's talking.
The word "intellectual" seem to have provoked a sorry rift in our social com¬munication. This may stem from natural loyalties to careers requiring more physical activity than intellectual activity. A few persons in each camp tend to distrust and downgrade the other team entirely. This humanly understandable attitude is not valid and is downright unfair. Most healthy personalities are composed of a realistic balance between physical and mental faculties. Most productive careers require a pro¬portion of both physical and mental activity. We need the best of both sides to get the most from and give the most to the world.
Psychologists are still striving to evaluate the human faculty of intelligence in simple scientific terms. No wonder it baffles us ordinary folk. But one aspect is shining clear. Intelligence has a miraculous gift to turn inward and view the total personality of the self. So far as we know, this faculty is unique in all of nature.