"Intellectuals" Get Away With This, But Don't You Do It

"One of the surprising privileges of intellectuals is that they are free to be scandalously asinine without harming their reputation." -- Eric Hoffer

Here's a nice example from Paul Erlich: "The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s, the world will undergo famines. Hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. Population control is the only answer." (1968, The Population Bomb") Ehrlich also predicted the earth's then-5 billion population would starve back to 2 billion people by 2025. In 1969, Dr. Ehrlich warned Britain's Institute of Biology, "If I were a gambler, I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000."

Sounds like pretty poor analysis and prediction, doesn't it? Erlich has won at least 16 awards, including the prestigious 1980 Crafoord Prize in Sweden. HT: Walter Williams

As Christians I believe we should be the best thinkers on the planet. We should work hard at inquiry and discovery, analysis, dialogue, review.

But we need to do this with great humility. Consider this from Paul's letter to the "wise" Corinthians:

18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. (1 Cor 1:18-25)

And don't expect to win any earthly awards in the process, brothers. Focus on heavenly rewards that are promised to you, not on the boasting of men.