What counts as smart?

bluebison70 said:And as a military strategist? He made the incredibly foolish decision to invade (and then basically destroy himself within months)
the USSR, all while fighting on the Western Front at the same time. It turned out... well, not great.
Most of the German generals, for the most part, viewed him as nothing more than a charlatan.

I suppose a historical figure can be seen as positive or negative, but they change the world through their actions regardless. Every person has light and dark sides, I think. Hitler wasn't an exception to that rule.

When I was writing about Hitler, I mostly just wanted to see how everyone else would react, and I'm actually glad there are people here who take a critical stance.

I suppose a historical figure can be seen as positive or negative, but they change the world through their actions regardless. Every person has light and dark sides, I think. Hitler wasn't an exception to that rule.

When I was writing about Hitler, I mostly just wanted to see how everyone else would react, and I'm actually glad there are people here who take a critical stance.

I suppose a historical figure can be seen as positive or negative, but they change the world through their actions regardless. Every person has light and dark sides, I think. Hitler wasn't an exception to that rule.

When I was writing about Hitler, I mostly just wanted to see how everyone else would react, and I'm actually glad there are people here who take a critical stance.
Hitler wasn't actually brilliant—he was quite foolish, if you ask me—because if he truly possessed intellect, he wouldn't have harbored the delusion that he could conquer all of Europe and rule over it indefinitely. Think of how many battles the Germans lost solely because of his disastrous strategic blunders—and well, we all know exactly how that saga ended.

Kenneth Price74 said:I find myself reflecting on Einstein's theory regarding the infinite nature of human stupidity.
So, who exactly qualifies as intelligent? And does anyone truly possess genuine intellect?

No, nobody is ever truly smart. It is simply a comforting little lie we tell ourselves to make the constant stream of nonsense we encounter feel a bit more manageable.

True intelligence doesn't exist.

In fact, this very post of yours highlights an endless supply of foolishness, given that such a theory requires actual reading and comprehension rather than just a passing glance.

Sure, you could look at it that way, even if intelligence is somewhat measurable through human tools. If you’re looking at scientists like Hawking or Einstein, there’s zero doubt they possess massive amounts of knowledge, know how to wield it, and have achieved a ton in their fields (I won't say they hit the absolute ceiling, but maybe they reached the limits of what human intellect can grasp through standard learning). But what kind of intelligence are we actually talking about? Reading through these threads, this seems likely: If we define intelligence by the sheer volume of absorbed facts and comprehension, then anyone with a deep well of general info, or intense specialized expertise—or someone who just knows how to use that info skillfully—is undoubtedly smart. Where I was trying to steer this discussion is toward the context of how that knowledge is applied. That’s really just a reflection of an individual's consciousness and morals. Whether they're using what they know wisely given the circumstances...