Priggish intellectuals

“In 20+ years of working in private, independent schools and colleges, I have concluded that they offer a broader, deeper education than their public counterparts that are often driven by under-informed, poorly prepared Boards of Education. Private schools and colleges care about their students academic preparation for college and life, but they also offer the development of ‘functional intelligence’ that provides graduates with the ability to make rational and ethical decisions based on limited amounts of information rather than priggish intellectuals who discern and decide based on the direction of public of opinion or the whims of society.

I recall my days as a Marine company commander when some of my lieutenants would arrive early for company formation, inspect their troops, and offer constructive criticism, and the troops knew they cared. Others would pull up in their sports cars just in time for formation and the morning reports. Seemingly, these were the ‘priggish intellectuals’ who had no clue as to the expectations of a leader and were destined for some Benson counsel that would not be consistent with their esteem and sense of well-being.”