A neurosurgeon, Dr. Isabella Opoku, in recent past ignited strong emotional debate over the issue of intellectualism and anti-intellectualism in Ghana.
Background
She did that by attacking a young lady popularly called Miss Oduro who shared her strong view on the relevance of The National Science and Maths Quiz-NSMQ: the use of it as a yardstick to measure the intelligence or performance of students as well as the practical challenges within the country's educational system.
Dr. Isabella did not only belittle the young lady; she actually mocked her in the most distasteful manner as possible on her Facebook wall.
On top of that, she surprisingly attacked Wodemaya and Goshers, two of Ghana's celebrated socialites and tagged them in her post.
According to Dr. Isabella, folks who could carry around camera feel they made it in life.
An opportunity to Revenge?
One of the celebrated NSMQ contestants, Miss Francisca Lamini recently graduated from Harvard Pre-med School with prestigious award and many people around the country were celebrating her great achievement.
In doing so, Dr. Isabella found it a great opportunity to publicly hit back at the young lady who shared her view on the poor educational system in the country in relation to NSMQ few years ago.
The Doctor and her supporters, particularly Engineer Paul Azunre, split the debate between 2 main lines: intellectuals and anti-intellectuals.
Interestingly enough, the doctor and her camp seem to brand themselves intellectuals and tag those who opposed her views as anti-intellectuals.
What’s the Meaning of the Word: Intellectual?
I think it's very obvious Dr. Isabella and Paul Azunre do not really understand the simple meaning of who an intellectual is.
If they really do, I believe they would not have put themselves across the high table of intellectuals and opponents around the lower table of anti-intellectuals with respect to the issue on hand. A simple google search could have rephrased or even prevented their argument.
According to google: An intellectual is a person who engages deeply with ideas, knowledge, critical thinking, and learning. Intellectuals often analyze complex issues and contribute to discussions about society, culture, science, politics, philosophy, or other fields of knowledge.
An intellectual is not necessarily someone with many academic degrees. Rather, it is someone who: Thinks critically and independently. Seeks knowledge and understanding. Engages in thoughtful discussion and analysis. Uses reason and evidence to form opinions. Contributes ideas that help others understand important issues.
Per the real meaning of the word intellectual, Dr. Isabella, Paul Azunre and all those who support their opinions are the real anti-intellectuals.
In fact, if you want a practical meaning of the word intellectual, look no further. Just take a look at Miss Oduro and her articulated view on the subject matter even as a high school student at the time
She might have had excesses in her submission but Miss Oduro's ability to express herself in a manner that caught the nation's attention including Dr. Isabella gives clear, practical meaning of what intellectualism is.
Per the meaning of intellectual, one may be the most intelligent medical doctor or engineer and still not qualified to be described an intellectual. Intellectualism is far beyond academic excellence and achievement and all of us must recognize that.
Dr. Isabella as a neurosurgeon, undoubtedly can be described one of the successful ladies on the educational and professional ladder.
In this controversy, the Doctor courts attention of a number of supporters. However, she got a lot of 'haters' because of the calibre of people she decided to drag into her perspective on the issue and her derogatory remarks.
Some attacked her competence as a medical practitioner. I think that's unacceptable. The people who attack her medical practice do not know how good she is or not as a surgeon.
Per achievements mentioned on her social media handle, I can only conclude that Dr. Isabella is one of the best neurosurgeons out there.
But I still want to remind all of us that, there's a big difference between intellectualism and great academic and professional achievements. And that the latter does not automatically make one an intellectual.
