At lexicography, one of my daily stops, there’s a good post about Intelligence.

Now, in my life, I’ve known a large number of extraordinarily well educated people, with not a grain of common sense between them. I’ve known a lot of people who did well on IQ tests who couldn’t find their asses with both hands.

I’ve also known a whole hell of a lot of people with little or no formal education who make the world turn. Ayn Rand, in all of her self-important insufferable literature talks about the captains of industry who do such marvelous things, but she shows a complete lack of comprehension of the manufacturing process- the captain of industry may provide the finance, may even provide the vision- but I defy anyone to show me a single captain of industry whose long term success didn’t rely on the sweat of others in his employ. From Henry Ford to Dean Kamen, those men who succeed may begin to do so on their own merits but no single man ever got further than the reach of his own arms. Remember John Kruesi? No? I’m not surprised. He’s the guy responsible for many of Edison’s inventions. Edison himself was a knucklehead. Henry Ford? yeah, everyone knows him. Ransom Oldsmobile, same same. The Dodge brothers. Sir Henry Bessemer. The names of the people who made those men who they are, are lost in the mists of time, except to a select few who study them.

Anyway, back to topic: You neither have to have a great education to do well, nor does a great education necesarily confer upon the student any measure of ability. By the same token, a good education doesn’t hurt anyone, nor does it hurt one’s chances for success.

Steve H, a well educated man, has more sense than most, and the sense of humor to be able to poke fun at himself from time to time, one of his most endearing qualities. I doubt he could rebore and blueprint a v8, I’m fairly convinced he couldn’t write code for a 5 axis cnc mill, because it is not valuable to him to do those things. I can do those things, but I’d be at a loss to write a legal brief, or, for that matter, a cookbook. We might be able to learn each other’s jobs- but we’d probably never be as good at that as we were at our chosen profession. Fran Porretto writes in a manner that causes me to have to dig out a dictionary almost every day, and he is himself a one-time wrenchhead- I wouldn’t want him shoring up my basement, but that’s not his thing either.

How well educated you are means little when it comes to your abilities. Being able to learn the intricacies of the task to which you’re assigned or for which you’ve been chosen, and doing that job with a dedication and passion that transcends ego and politics is the measure of a man- or a woman.

Best of luck, Miss Miers. Do your job well and discharge your duties according to the constitution, and we will write your name in our hearts along with Mr Reagan and Mr Rehnquist.