I think that’s how we define it, but it honestly, it’s kind of a fuzzy thing that is always contextual.
I get wanting to feel that way (and I do also have that same knee-jerk reaction, too), but ideology is really powerful constructor of the world. But intelligence itself is a social construct that in our society still has a lot of moral sway - we seem to associate things we feel are good with intelligence. But I also think that the term “intelligence” is very much historically situated and debated in terms of meaning… And who is “intelligent” depends very much on one’s worldview in general. I would agree with you personally on the definition of intelligence (empathy, curiosity, open-mindedness with skepticism, etc). But not everyone would do so, for various reason. There are some who see intelligence as a form of moral superiority that they can and should lord over others (think Ayn Rand fans, who believe that they are smarter and morally superior, etc).
Let me see if I can write out what I’m trying to get at… An ideology (which I’m using in a neutral way here, as I think that we all have an ideology that informs our worldviews and our understanding of reality) is a lens for viewing the world that is internally consistent and shapes all aspects of our lives. It helps us to navigate our day to day existence within the social, cultural, political, and economic systems in which we live. The larger ideology in which most of the humanity now lives within is the capitalist economic system, which as the hegemonic system, has managed to become “natural” in that it informs all aspects of our lives. And of course, there is still a great deal of resistance to capitalism because of how amoral many find it to be and that comes out in a variety of ways (embracing marxism, socialism, anarchism, etc or embracing a reactionary position - monarchists, religious people, etc). That’s used by people who believe in various ideologies as a means of recruiting people to their cause, whatever it might be. They pitch a coherent enough worldview with a compelling narrative (say Qanon or other conspiracy theories), even some smart people are going to embrace it, because it makes the world much simplier to navigate… it’s why we enjoy myths and fairytales, because they give us something clear cut in a world that is anything but. So even smart people can be persuaded to embrace it.
Yes, that tends to be men who come from the middle or upper classes who basically breezed through to a phd.
It’s not just a right wing phenomenon.
We have to remember that a major part of the ability to navigate college to an advanced degree is pegged to class. It helps to have parents who also have advanced to degrees and know how to navigate the class system in the university systems.
Jinx!
And BIPOC of any gender…
