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What in the World is Wrong? - Intellectualism

The Feudal period of history was ruled by an aristocracy defined by inherited wealth and position. People born into this sort of environment would find it almost impossible not to think of themselves smugly as superior to others. Today people who have inherited a high IQ also often find themselves contemptuous of others. The educated elite that rule the world today differ little from their historical aristocratic fellows except that rather than marginal Christians, these are often devout secularists.

Secularism is often presented as the absence of religion but perhaps more accurately could be called a religion of the worship of man in general and self in particular. While often advocated in educational institutions, colleges seem particularly aggressive in promoting the doctrines of this religion. such as evolution (there is no God), psychology (do what feels good), relativism, (there is no right or wrong), and collectivism (people need to be controlled).

Many might not see a problem in being ruled by the “best and the brightest”. However, intellect is not the same thing as wisdom. We know that knowledge puffs up (1 Cor 8:1) and that those who think highly of themselves despise others (Luke 18:9). However, there can be additional elements at work such as not only being cut off from wisdom, but actually becoming fools (Rom 1:22).

That humans are irredeemable outside of the blood of Christ has been a long established Christian tradition. However, breaking from this perspective have been periodic attempts to see humans as evolving towards nobility. This can be seen with the Italian humanism (Renaissance humanism) of the 14th-16th centuries, the so-called enlightenment of the 17th and 18th centuries, the progressive era for the 19th and 20th centuries, and what might now be called the “woke” culture. Often central to these movements is the idea of humans evolving in general and seeing oneself at the forefront.

This blindness to truth is a sad effect of self-adulation. William Buckley is famous for the quote that he would rather be governed by the first 400 names in the Boston telephone book than by the faculty of Harvard. This assertion might be understood better when considering that IQ is a genetic quality, but wisdom is from God and available to any who would ask on the condition of faith. If someone with a lower IQ had wisdom they might be described as having “common sense”. Sadly, it is not as “common” as it used to be.

There is nothing wrong with having a high IQ. However, if used in the pursuit and advocacy of foolishness, it becomes dangerous because it often seeks to impose foolishness on others. The bible tells us that the fear (reverence) of God is the beginning of wisdom. This path is the only one to cure those who have been drawn to foolishness by conformance to the world and by thinking too highly of themselves (Rom 12:2-3).

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