Aptitude, Orientation and Belief — Ali Shukri Amin
First published on my writing site: www.aliamin.info/2025/12/aptitude-orientation-and-belief/
By Ali Shukri Amin. I first wrote this as comments on r/PhilosophyMemes, in the thread “Metaphysically necessary possible modal worlds”, copied here as written.
Comment 1
Started off as a chem major through a program that allowed me to begin my undergrad in junior year of high school. Now hold a master’s in IT & work in software.
That being said, most STEM people see abstract reasoning & philosophy as an inferior kind of knowledge that requires lesser intelligence. This is a common problem with everyone that has specific aptitudes.
People who have high degrees of physical intelligence/capability, socio-emotional intelligence, see STEM people as weak nerds. They can win at life and enjoy it much more than them without staring at a book.
People with high degrees of ethical & abstract intelligence see STEM as being subordinate to armchair philosophizing.
There is a fundamental human problem with arrogance & delegitimizing areas of expertise that one is not naturally adept at.
STEM people are typically at a disadvantage in philosophical discussions in the same way philosophers are at a disadvantage in STEM. Attempts to bridge the divide, like the almost mathematical analytical approach, have not proven successful.
Posted December 30, 2025. Read it on Reddit.
Comment 2
Aptitude is the raw talent. Most people are biased towards their aptitude. But there are also orientations.
I can think painting and literature are the most sophisticated forms of human expression while myself having zero talent in either.
However, typically, people are biased towards the areas they are naturally apt in. This doesn’t have to be the case.
I can admire socialites & people with insight into human behavior or I can assume they’re superficial and interested in petty affairs. People that are naturally good with analyzing people will TEND to think this is a superior form of intelligence to one they are not born talented in, let’s say engineering, but do not NECCESARILY have to.
Hence engineering uber alles types or science uber alles types.
Myself, STEM is not my natural strong suit. It’s where I’m most formally educated, but ethical/abstract reasoning is much naturally stronger. I was always weakest in human intelligence (social, emotional, spatial, self preservation, etc.). Over time I came to appreciate it’s a category of intelligence I lack and need to develop.
Posted December 31, 2025. Read it on Reddit.
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