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Berkovits
Naomi Berkovits

Prof. Amanda Trejbrowski

ENGL 120

14 June 2022

The Insignificance of Academic Intelligence

Asimov and Shulman discuss how the world is filled with many people, talents, and

outlooks. Unfortunately, society only values academic intelligence and those with other

strengths get no prestigious acknowledgement. In “What is Intelligence, Anyway?” Isaac Asimov

addresses how, though he grew up as someone who people considered exceptionally bright, he

lacks practical knowledge. He explains how there are many talents possessed by those who

outshine him in certain areas and how their intelligence is equally important. Furthermore, in

“Love is a Fallacy,” Shulman presents a character who finds that, despite his intelligence, he is

unable to romance a girl and make her his wife. These works show that in fact, academicians

are not only equally smart as rest of society but can potentially be missing valuable nuances in

life.

In "What is Intelligence, Anyway?" Isaac Asimov argues against society's glorification of

academic intelligence as the only valuable type of intelligence. In reality, there are people with

various kinds of intelligence. In “What is Intelligence, Anyway?” Asimov relates how his success

in academics made him feel smart. He, in turn, expected others to consider him as such (1).

Asimov explains how when his car broke, he depended greatly on the knowledge of the

mechanic to help him out. Asimov writes that he “always took for granted that [he] was far

more intelligent” than the mechanic, until he was helplessly waiting at the repair shop. He
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admits that if he was given a test created by a carpenter, farmer, or repairman, he’d “be a

moron, too” (Asimov 2). Society neglects to value the intelligence of anyone other than an

academician.

While Asimov shows that intelligence cannot replace practical knowledge, in "Love is a

Fallacy," Max Shulman shows that although intelligence is valuable, it can’t take the place of

emotions. The narrator in “Love is a Fallacy” is a pretentious boy who tries to win over a girl

through logic. He wants her for “shrewdly calculated, entirely cerebral reasons” (Shulman 2).

He hoped to smarten her up so she can be his wife once he became a lawyer. The narrator

would take her out for dinner and teach her logical fallacies until she was up to his standards.

When the time came, he made a calculated decision to switch his relationship “from academic

to romantic” (Shulman 7). This plan failed to succeed since love and romance can’t be switched

on logically. Despite his confidence in being “a giant intellect,” his smarts failed him when it

came to creating a relationship.

Moreover, sometimes intelligent people fall behind as a result of their supposed

strength. Asimov recounts when his repairman told him a clever joke. The repairman was

unsurprised when he fooled Asimov. He explained to Asimov that “you’re so goddamned

educated, doc, I knew you couldn’t be very smart” (Asimov 2). The repairman understood that

people with that kind of brain would not be able to think out of box. Similarly, in “Love is a

Fallacy,” the narrator learns that he lost his girl to Petey Bellows when he failed to incorporate

his emotions into the relationship. Petey was “dumb as an ox” and followed the crowd. He was

desperate for the latest fad, a raccoon coat. The narrator exchanged his raccoon coat with

Petey for the right to date his girl, Polly. When Polly rejected him and said she preferred Petey,
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the narrator was utterly confused. She then explained that it was because “he’s got a raccoon

coat” (Shulman 8) and that’s all she was really looking for. The boy that he scoffed at eventually

showed him how he was missing the bigger picture.

These writings illustrate the misconception that academically inclined people are

smarter and more important than the average person. Sometimes, their logical and systematic

way of thinking can hinder their ability to tap into things that come naturally for others. The

proud, educated, and philosophical man might not be able to fix a car or romance a girl. Most

importantly, society should begin noticing and appreciating people with other types of intellect,

not just academic achievements.

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Work Cited

Asimov, Isaac. What is Intelligence, Anyway?.

Shulman, Max. Love is a Fallacy. 1951.