My mother was book smart, skipped about three grades grades before she went to college. One day i asked her why she was so smart, she said because i read so much. As i got older i would tell her about articles or seminars I've read or saw. Before I could even finish she would tell me you believe everything you read. I could not ever have a discussion with her about anything.

I've managed to get a job in an academic institution where I work along colleagues who nearly all have doctorates, yet I didn't even go to university

I know something about some things.... I'm still learning in here though... don't rate me yet.

@Rugglesby how did you fare on Professor Cippolla's laws of Human Stupidity?

[qz.com]

Shallow water rarely understands that still water runs deep.

This is in response to the original post and the comments.
Be very careful. All of us are 'stupid' in various aspects of our lives. There are many different kinds of intelligence and one of the first to thoroughly explore this was Howard Gardner in his book (yeah I know more 'book learning' ) 'Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences' . I know we elevate one kind of intelligence in our culture (think 'Jeopardy! ' ) but just because someone doesn't have very well-developed emotional intelligence means that they're stupid/incompetent in other aspects of their lives. Just like @Rudy1962 I had a change of vocation late in life. I participated in a bus mechanic apprentice program at my company when I was 49 and finished when 51. I discovered how my new job wasn't just different but required a different way of thinking or, if you prefer, developing a different kind of intelligence. I'm used to being one of, if not THE, smartest guys in the room and it was, and still is, a very humbling experience even though I have improved. There is a VERY strong strain of anti-intellectualism in this thread just as there is in this country and remember how much Dawkins and Hitchens are intellectual 'book learners'. How's about we all make a deal and don't denigrate anyone else just because some of us don't measure up in some aspects of our lives.

A person is born -or not- intelligent. Book learning is acquired.....but intelligence is necessary to acquire knowledge.
Get a person with an IQ of 40 and he / she won't to be able to understand a grammar school book.
No, intelligence and book-learning are not the same and those who negate this truth need a shrink.

My friend is an aerospace engineer with a mind boggling IQ, but has married twice on first dates

I don't fully disagree with IQ tests. We can think of many reasons they could be biased, but on the note, there have been IQ tests made and distribute which have tried to accommodate for these in many respects. I myself have never taken an IQ test, and I might never. I have no idea how I would do, but I will say I know plenty of people who say they score high (even Mensa levels) but I highly question their ability to reason about many topics.

I think you could easily make the reason test, and I'm sure people have tried. It could be as easy as assessing various arguments made by politicians and philosophical thinkers. For instance, "It's freezing and snowing in New York -- we need global warming,"- by Donald Trump. People should be able to identify the conclusion, the argument, and the relationship between the two. If they could, I doubt this guy would be president.

Or a test for common sense. I've known many people who scored well on iq tests but didn't know enough to come out of the rain. An all inclusive test would be nice to show where you draw your intelligence from, and questions on street smarts thrown in also!

I am glad you said that about books because at the moment I do not read any books because it might disturb the flow of my hopefully original thoughts. Like why you say about people too. I think your post should be in lights at the top of this site or used some way in its advertising.Thanks.

I have never thought that I am smarter than anyone else. I just think differently. In fact I am sometimes, with good reason thought of as an idiot by people who don't know me.For example:
I will be thinking about the actual ingredients of just what may be in the meat of hamburger and soda, what chemicals are actually in them? How do those chemicals react with us biologically?What is their actual nutritional value? Could we more cheaply and efficiently make better ingredients and if so how would that affect the world population and economy? Meanwhile, the poor girl at the McDonalds cash register is stuck looking at the idiot with the deer in the headlights look!

I most respect life-learners, they just get better with time... The relevance of a degree fades, and they can be so specific. I’m pleased not to find the overly academic flaunting their familiarity with authors I’ll never read around here… Used to attend Atheist meetings where we’d sit though some hardly comprehensible painfully academic lecture that made you regret showing up.. Love that ‘firebrand Atheism,’ though! It’s a great mix here, and folks have been very (very) tolerant ..of my reckless habit of calling it as I see it..

I also love the quality of discussion here, and the wisdom in this post. I have a Master's Degree and had been in my line of work for many years, when I was put in a position where I had to work in a factory. At the job we had to tear down the machinery and put it back together when we cleaned "the line". I have never been mechanical and felt like the stupidest person in the place, and the only one with a degree. I had a friend in college who probably would have scored in the "MENSA range" on an IQ test. However, he was the most miserable son of a bitch I knew, and his social skills were next to none. My children outsmart me everyday. There are many types of intelligence.

Intelligence and higher education (fancy book learnin' to Trump supporters) are certainly not the same thing, but I'm sure there's a strong correlation between them. Ultimately, an argument must stand or fall on its merits and not who is putting it forward and what their educational background may be, but you can generally count on a much better position being espoused by someone with expertise.

I'm dyslexic and hated school but I consider myself inteligent

Majoring in philosophy or ethics tends to get people no where, but I’m thinking about taking some classes for my self interest. People forget that learning is not something you do strictly for work, everyone seems to want just the paper.

My mum says her most intelligent son is the one without a degree. Me