Welcome to Side 5... follow in your book* as we learn six new words in English:

intellectual

ADJECTIVE: 1a. Of or relating to the intellect. b. Rational rather than emotional. 2. Appealing to or engaging the intellect: an intellectual book; an intellectual problem. 3a. Having or showing intellect, especially to a high degree. See synonyms at intelligent. b. Given to activities or pursuits that require exercise of the intellect.

NOUN: An intellectual person.

ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French intellectuel, from Late Latin intellctulis, from Latin intellctus, intellect. See intellect.

intellect

NOUN: 1a. The ability to learn and reason; the capacity for knowledge and understanding. b. The ability to think abstractly or profoundly. See synonyms at mind. 2. A person of great intellectual ability.

ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French intellecte, from Latin intellctus, perception, from past participle of intellegere, to perceive. See intelligent.

intelligent

ADJECTIVE: 1. Having intelligence. 2. Having a high degree of intelligence; mentally acute. 3. Showing sound judgment and rationality: an intelligent decision; an intelligent solution to the problem. 4. Appealing to the intellect; intellectual: a film with witty and intelligent dialogue. 5. Computer Science Having certain data storage and processing capabilities: an intelligent terminal; intelligent peripherals.

ETYMOLOGY: Latin intelligns, intelligent-, present participle of intellegere, intelligere, to perceive : inter-, inter- + legere, to choose; see leg- in Appendix I.

SYNONYMS: intelligent, bright, brilliant, knowing, quick-witted, smart, intellectual These adjectives mean having or showing mental keenness. Intelligent usually implies the ability to cope with new problems and to use the power of reasoning and inference effectively: The intelligent math students excelled in calculus. Bright implies quickness or ease in learning: The bright child learned the alphabet quickly. Brilliant suggests unusually impressive mental acuteness: The dullard's envy of brilliant men is always assuaged by the suspicion that they will come to a bad end (Max Beerbohm). Knowing implies the possession of knowledge, information, or understanding: Knowing collectors bought all the auctioned paintings. Quick-witted suggests mental alertness and prompt response: The quick-witted emergency medical staff averted a tragedy. Smart refers to quick intelligence and often a ready capability for taking care of one's own interests: Smart lawyers can effectively manipulate juries. Intellectual implies the capacity to grasp difficult or abstract concepts: Dinner at the philosopher's house was noted for its intellectual conversations.

anti-intellectual

ADJECTIVE: Opposed or hostile to intellectuals or intellectual views.

obscurant

NOUN: One who opposes intellectual advancement and political reform.

ADJECTIVE: 1. Characterized by opposition to intellectual advancement and political reform. 2. Tending to make obscure: an obscurant bank of clouds.

obscurantism

NOUN: 1. The principles or practice of obscurants. 2. A policy of withholding information from the public. 3a. A style in art and literature characterized by deliberate vagueness or obliqueness. b. An example or instance of this style.

* The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition [emphasis mine, of course]

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The first three words are fitting descriptors for most of the participants in HabitableZone. Of the second set of three words, the former two are suprisingly applicable to many of the statements made by a significant number of those same people -- even those few who use their intellects in the process. It causes me to wonder about the level of self-hatred, never mind its origin.

I leave it as an exercise to assign applicability to the final word.