Classifying Thinkers

We don't really know how to define intelligence. However, this does not discourage some people from categorizing others according to their intelligence or lack of it. In his essay, "Thinking as a hobby," author William S. Golding does exactly this. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.

According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers. These people are docile. They follow orders and they obey other people's wishes. They never learn to think for themselves and cannot distinguish truth from lies. A dictator could take control of them and make them do whatever he wanted, as if they were sheep. The resulting mob would be brutal and ugly.

Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator. These grade-two thinkers, who make up 9 percent of the population, see corruption in the world. For example, grade-two thinkers may question the honesty of religion or political institutions,but they fail to find new ideals to believe in.

The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers. They not only see corruption, but they also know how to seek truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Such thinkers are creative and imaginative geniuses, like Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein, who opened new worlds in music, art and science.

One wonders in which category Golding would place himself. Surely not among the "sheep"! Golding may prefer to believe that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators, but the number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao shows that this belief is incorrect. In fact, sometimes the common sense and compassion of the ordinary man is all that stands between civilization and barbarism. As one of the so-called sheep, I say bah to Mr. Golding!

1. (Thesis statement highlighted in green)
Golding classifies thinkers into three grades which are grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers and grade-one thinkers.

2. (Topic Sentences are underlined)

3. The 90 percent of the population is described as docile, willing to succumb to orders without thinking or analysing the situation first. They are known as grade-three thinkers. The 9 percent of people are less docile and question the authority, analysing but fail to bring in new ideals to believe in. The 1 percent of the population are grade-one thinkers. They question, analyse and seek the truth behind the corruption. They live by beauty, wisdom and knowledge.

4. (Examples underlined)

5. The writer thinks that Golding's statement about the grade-one thinkers being free of corruption is assumed and cannot be proven for there are many examples of intelligent individuals involved in corruption. The writer scoffs at Golding's assumption that intelligence marks the difference between civilisation and barbarism. He contradicts it, arguing that human common sense and compassion are the factors that really play a role in distinguishing the difference between humanity and barbarism. This is proven in the last paragraph.

6. To support her argument against Golding's point of view, the writer uses examples of intelligent professionals, such as doctors, teachers, lawyers and authors who have supported political corruption.