- Couldn't have said it better myself... If you want to separate the wise from the witless, look for continuity... When you see people who are consistently focused on the things that matter, on bettering and improving this world, on helping others learn and succeed and trying to make themselves better human beings - people you know you can turn to when you need advice or moral support - and doing this consistently, you will know you have found an intellectual (good luck with that! It won't be easy...) The rest should be easy to spot - wasting their minds on drugs and other self-destructive habits, spending all their time in front of a TV, watching pro sports, chasing material wealth, pursuing personal interests that are benefiting nobody but themselves, living in the past and clinging to lives that have long since changed, disregarding their health, friends, family, acting irresponsible and foolish half the time and trying to convince others they're responsible and intelligent the rest of the time, even though they are extremely inconsistent - if not self-contradicting...but always stopping long enough to tell you how much they know about everything, despite the fact they spend little or no actual time considering or dealing with said things. Then you will know you have found the majority. Sadly, it is not always a good thing to be among the majority - especially in this case. If the cost of selling out (and, eventually losing) your intelligence and identity is to do what everyone else does and tolerate things you know are wrong for the simple benefit of being 'accepted' - you should first, probably consider who it is you are being accepted by and second, realize what it has cost you, what it will cost society and what kind of future it will result in. I can tell you that it will not be what you expect or hope for. Then again, ignorance is bliss (even if only because you're not wise enough to realize how wrong you are)...so you may not even notice. Best of luck to you! (y)