In the eighteenth century, the writer P. Bobrykin introduced the word “intellectual” into use. The roots of the word itself come from the Latin “intellect”, which means mind. At that time, the intelligentsia included people who were engaged in mental work: writers, scientists, teachers, engineers and artists. More precisely, these were all those who did not work in the fields, workshops and mines. People engaged in mental work were distinguished by their education and were considered “white bones” among the masses of their kind. Is it appropriate today to confuse the concepts of “education” and “intelligence”? Does it mean that every educated person is necessarily intelligent, and vice versa?
Who is this intellectual?
If you ask people who an intelligent person is, you will not get a clearly defined answer. Some argue that for this person the level of education, knowledge and the presence of a “crust” about the education received are more important, others say that this is good upbringing and manners.
It is curious that both will turn out to be both right and wrong. D. Likhachev in his work “A Man Must Be Intelligent,” according to the majority, gave a reliable description of an intelligent person. He argued that this is a quality given by nature, which education and upbringing only sharpen.
A person born and raised in a family of miners may be more intelligent than one born into a family of professors. Intelligence does not imply the fact of knowledge of sciences and human values, but a person’s desire to know them. Bringing together all the statements of the author of the article, we can conclude that tolerance in relation to the world lies at the basis of intelligence. A fanatic by nature is not an intelligent person. These are radically opposite personalities.
Letter twelve. A person must be intelligent
A person must be intelligent! What if his profession does not require intelligence? And if he could not get an education: that’s how the circumstances developed. What if the environment doesn’t allow it? What if his intelligence makes him a “black sheep” among his colleagues, friends, relatives, and simply prevents him from getting closer to other people?
No, no and NO! Intelligence is needed under all circumstances. It is necessary both for others and for the person himself.
This is very, very important, and above all in order to live happily and long - yes, long! For intelligence is equal to moral health, and health is needed to live long - not only physically, but also mentally. One old book says: “Honor your father and your mother, and you will live long on earth.” This applies to both an entire nation and an individual. That's wise.
But first of all, let’s define what intelligence is, and then why it is connected with the commandment of longevity.
Many people think: an intelligent person is one who has read a lot, received a good education (and even mainly a humanitarian one), traveled a lot, and knows several languages.
Meanwhile, you can have all this and be unintelligent, and you can not possess any of this to a large extent, but still be an internally intelligent person.
Education cannot be confused with intelligence. Education lives by old content, intelligence - by creating new things and recognizing the old as new.
Moreover... Deprive a truly intelligent person of all his knowledge, education, deprive him of his memory. Let him forget everything in the world, he will not know the classics of literature, he will not remember the greatest works of art, he will forget the most important historical events, but if at the same time he remains receptive to intellectual values, a love of acquiring knowledge, an interest in history, an aesthetic sense, he will be able to to distinguish a real work of art from a crude “thing” made only to surprise, if he can admire the beauty of nature, understand the character and individuality of another person, enter into his position, and having understood the other person, help him, he will not show rudeness, indifference, or gloating , envy, but will appreciate another if he shows respect for the culture of the past, the skills of an educated person, responsibility in resolving moral issues, the richness and accuracy of his language - spoken and written - this will be an intelligent person.
Intelligence is not only about knowledge, but about the ability to understand others. It manifests itself in a thousand and a thousand little things: in the ability to argue respectfully, to behave modestly at the table, in the ability to quietly (precisely imperceptibly) help another, to take care of nature, not to litter around oneself - do not litter with cigarette butts or swearing, bad ideas (this is also garbage, and what else!).
I knew peasants in the Russian North who were truly intelligent. They maintained amazing cleanliness in their homes, knew how to appreciate good songs, knew how to tell “happenings” (that is, what happened to them or others), lived an orderly life, were hospitable and friendly, treated with understanding both the grief of others and someone else's joy.
Intelligence is the ability to understand, to perceive, it is a tolerant attitude towards the world and towards people.
You need to develop intelligence in yourself, train it—train your mental strength, just as you train your physical strength. And training is possible and necessary in any conditions.
That training physical strength contributes to longevity is understandable. Much less understands that longevity requires training of spiritual and mental strength.
The fact is that an angry and angry reaction to the environment, rudeness and lack of understanding of others is a sign of mental and spiritual weakness, human inability to live... Pushing around in a crowded bus is a weak and nervous person, exhausted, reacting incorrectly to everything. Quarreling with neighbors is also a person who does not know how to live, who is mentally deaf. An aesthetically unresponsive person is also an unhappy person. Someone who cannot understand another person, attributes only evil intentions to him, and is always offended by others - this is also a person who impoverishes his own life and interferes with the lives of others. Mental weakness leads to physical weakness. I'm not a doctor, but I'm convinced of this. Long-term experience has convinced me of this.
Friendliness and kindness make a person not only physically healthy, but also beautiful. Yes, exactly beautiful.
A person’s face, distorted by malice, becomes ugly, and the movements of an evil person are devoid of grace - not deliberate grace, but natural grace, which is much more expensive.
Man's social duty is to be intelligent. This is a duty to yourself. This is the key to his personal happiness and the “aura of goodwill” around him and towards him (that is, addressed to him).
Everything I talk about with young readers in this book is a call to intelligence, to physical and moral health, to the beauty of health. Let us live long as people and as a people! And veneration of father and mother should be understood broadly - as veneration of all our best in the past, in the past, which is the father and mother of our modernity, great modernity, to which it is great happiness to belong.
Intelligent person. What is he like? (conversation)
Conversation with elements of discussion: “An intelligent person. What is he like?
Target:
to form an idea of intelligence as the highest manifestation of a person’s education and beauty.
Tasks:
create a special attitude for the work of all participants in the conversation: lively, emotional, intense contact.
Development of a set of personality qualities that reflect a unique moral portrait of the student.
Education of moral feelings and ethical consciousness.
Move
I. Statement of the problem.
Educator: Guys, do you think everyone needs to be intelligent people? Can a person be considered intelligent if he was unable to obtain an education due to some circumstances? Why is a person sometimes called a “black sheep”? Can intelligence prevent a person from getting closer to other people? Read the statement of Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev: “A person’s social duty is to be intelligent. This is a duty to yourself. This is the key to his personal happiness.” How do you feel about this opinion of a competent person?
II. Conversation “What does it mean to be an intelligent person?”
Pupils discuss the stated problem.
“An intelligent person is one who has read a lot, received a good education, traveled a lot, and knows several languages.”
“An intelligent person is one who does not necessarily have to know a lot, memorize poetry, know the greatest works of art, but is capable of perceiving cultural values, has an aesthetic sense, is able to distinguish a real work of art from a crude counterfeit, is able to admire the beauty of nature, understand the character and individuality of another person, enter into his position, and having understood the other person, help him.”
“Intelligence is manifested not only in knowledge, but in a thousand little things: in the ability to argue respectfully, to behave modestly, in the ability to quietly (precisely imperceptibly) help another, to take care of nature, not to litter around oneself - do not litter with cigarette butts or swear words, bad ideas (this also rubbish, what a waste!).”
III. Discussion of the situation.
A woman who received her salary went shopping for the holiday. Coming out of the trolleybus, she discovered that she had left her bag with her passport, money, and keys to the apartment.
In the evening, a bell rang in the woman’s apartment. A very polite male voice asked if she had lost anything. He congratulated her on the upcoming holiday and said that his wife had found the bag, that they were decent people and the woman could come for her bag.
The woman, taking a box of chocolates with her, arrived at the specified address. The owner gave the impression of an intelligent man, very busy, as he worked as a teacher and was fond of collecting badges. After a nice “small” conversation, the owner presented a list of things in the bag with their exact value down to the penny. The total amount turned out to be 1,800 rubles (the estimate even included the cost of a notebook and a handkerchief), and he said that the woman should pay one-fourth of the total amount for the find, that is, four hundred and fifty rubles, “according to state laws” and “in good conscience,” as it should be among “decent intelligent people.”
Questions for students to discuss:
- Can this person be considered intelligent and decent?
- What would you do if you were his wife who found the bag? In your husband's place?
— What character traits can be judged by his behavior? What can you say about his upbringing?
After discussing the issues, the teacher introduces students to the statements of a scientist, writer, or artist on the issue of discussion.
IV. Final part.
Educator. “We understand the word “intellectual” differently. Often it is simplified to mean a person of mental labor. But not every person who does mental work is truly an intellectual in the traditional Russian sense of the word. Intelligence is not so much knowledge, although it is certainly important, but the ability to understand, the ability to enjoy reading a book, watching a good film, theater production, or works of art. This is extremely important, because the ability to understand art gives rise to the ability to understand another person. Intelligence is necessary for a person in all life circumstances” (D. S. Likhachev).
An intellectual does not necessarily have to know and love everything, but he must be a deeply decent person, hardworking, selfless and modest, living in the interests and concerns of the country, his people.
“Some people consider an intellectual to be a man wearing glasses with a naturally narrow face, that is, his understanding comes from his appearance; for others, he is the personification of intelligence in a leather jacket, and so on... Among the classics, I would call Chekhov an intellectual. Apparently, because Chekhov for us is the personification of some kind of human harmony. High spirituality and a subtle soul, amazing delicacy and sensitivity, softness and at the same time toughness, even sometimes cruelty, but in relation to cruelty...
Is it possible for everyone to be an intellectual? Is this necessary?
What do you prefer: to be surrounded by people who know how to hear your pain, who are able to openly tell the truth, even if it promises them only troubles, who are ready to give their last to another when that person needs it most? Or - rowing only for themselves, grabbing in a row, obsequious to some in the right situation and throwing mud at them when the situation has changed? After all, it happens that a person talks beautifully and a lot, but in reality there is such emptiness, such rot...
And further. Without education, without culture, without constant absorption of spiritual heritage, it is impossible to be an intellectual.” (L. Durov).
