Today's Word: Sciolist

Sciolists are annoying!

I'll tell you why: Sciolists think they know everything. Nothing is ever new or surprising to these folk, no! They show off their supposed-worldly knowledge with superficial quips and a posture of superiority!

These people just can't be wrong.

Ever!

I'm sure you know of few sciolistic people...or perhaps you've caught yourself behaving in a sciolistic manner...trying hard to impress someone, or defensively supporting a position based on the thinnest of facts.

Some people just can't help it...they gather loose factoids and tidbits of truth around them like a warm security blanket. They fear the unknown, and that fear rules them.

You can spot them at a party with ease! They always have the last word, and they never give pause in an argument to consider an alternative perspective...They never waver! Their insecurity turns them into pedantic know-it-alls. With a sciolist, every conversation devolves into an argument.

How do you deal with the sciolist? I'm not sure that you can effectively engage them...the rules of civil debate don't apply. When caught out, they will try to change the subject, through artifice or through insult (it's common in politics!).

So I just try to avoid or ignore them.

Don't get me wrong, the persistent pursuit of knowledge should be encouraged! It should be embraced by each and every one of us! But in doing so, we need to accept with humility that there is always more to learn, always another angle or new perspective that can provide more and greater knowledge! There's no reason to be pretentious!

Look around you! Examine the people who you learn from. Do they present a black and white view of the world? Life's not like that! Don't get suckered into becoming a sciolist too!

Ok!