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Though a bit idiosyncratic, the shortest definition of intellectual I'll sign on to is "magical thinker" (ht for connecting those dots for me). The essence of it is a layer of experimental belief that's a degree removed from senses, phenomenology, and action feedback
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It's not an own because I mean it in a complimentary sense. A recent project of mine is to reclaim "magical thinking" as a positive. The new tagline of ribbonfarm reflects this. It's not ironic/satirical. It's genuine value-inversion.
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Replying to and
How about "cognitive aesthete"? Aldous Huxley's definition has some merit imo—but of course it's a slog to get through: "An intellectual is a person who's found one thing that's more interesting than sex."
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