In today’s era of information overload, we are constantly bombarded by voices claiming authority, expertise, and enlightenment. Whether it is on social media, in professional seminars, or even within the walls of a classroom, maybe not everyone has noticed this, but if you are like me, and you watch a lot of educational videos, talk shows, and podcasts, there is a growing trend of using complexity as a mask for intelligence. We have encountered individuals who use big words not to clarify, but to confuse; not to build a bridge of understanding, but to erect a wall of intellectual superiority.
I just recently listened to a video that provides a masterful strategy for navigating these shallow waters. It suggests that we can cut through the noise of a “fake intellectual” by asking one simple, nine-word question in a neutral, curious tone: “So, what is the point that you are making?” This is more than just a social hack; it is a call to Intellectual Seriousness. It is the discipline of testing not just the “spirit” behind a message, but the very sentences used to convey it.
The Structure of the “Big Word” Trap
As the speaker, @thejaunt on TikTok said, many class discussions, particularly in philosophy, become nothing more than a competition to see how many complex terms can be squeezed into a single sentence. And this is a performance, not a dialogue. When people speak in random directions without relating to the actual discussion, they are engaging in intellectual broadcasting.
For us, the believers and the truth-seeker, let me put it like this: This is a breach of integrity.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity
Titus 2:6-7 KJV
Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified
Titus 2:6-7 NASB1995
In the same way, encourage young men to be wise. In every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness.
Titus 2:6-7 NCV
In a similar way urge the young men to be sensible and self-controlled and to behave wisely [taking life seriously]. And in all things show yourself to be an example of good works, with purity in doctrine [having the strictest regard for integrity and truth], dignified
Titus 2:6-7 AMP
We are called to show “gravity” and a “strictest regard for truth and purity of motive”. When a person intentionally uses “unadulterated” language to blur and complicate the truth, they are operating in pride, not wisdom.
Pride convinces us that we are “something” when we are actually avoiding the hard work of clear thinking and, in this case, clear and honest communication. And this reminds me of the article: Manipulative Underspecification: How Vague Language Creates Control
Words are never just words you know; they shape how we see the world, how we relate to one another, and how we build or destroy trust. A single phrase can heal or wound, bring clarity or confusion, unite or divide. That is why philosophers, theologians, and ethicists across centuries from the Stoics to the Scriptures have warned us to guard our speech carefully.
In the modern study of language, the philosopher Lorenzo D’Ambrosio coined the term “Manipulative Underspecification.” It describes the subtle but powerful way someone can use vague, slippery language to gain an advantage. Instead of committing and using clear words, they leave their statements underspecified, open to multiple interpretations, so they can later deny responsibility or shift blame, if they want to for whatever reason. In essence, their vagueness is NOT innocent; it is calculated, and sometimes very calculated.
And trust me when I say this idea is not just abstract philosophy; it has profound ethical weight. The Stoics, for instance, taught that clarity and truthfulness are central to living a virtuous life. Marcus Aurelius urged, “If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.” And I add to that by saying: To intentionally speak without clarity is to live without integrity, and when we fail to hold ourselves to the discipline of honest speech, we open the door to manipulation, both by others and within ourselves.
Continue Reading: Manipulative Underspecification: How Vague Language Creates Control
The 9-Word Test: Seeking Clarity, Not Conflict
The genius of the question “So, what is the point that you are making?” lies in its neutrality. Again, it is a tool of Intellectual Seriousness because it refuses to be intoxicated by the “vocabulary of the week.”
When you ask this question with genuine curiosity, you are applying the “Jesus Method”: addressing the issue and, in this case, the lack of clarity, without attacking the person by suggesting or labeling them a liar or a fool.
The Communicator: If the person truly has a point, they will pause, reflect, and attempt to simplify their thoughts into direct terms, because they value the connection more than the performance.
The Bulldozer: If their goal was merely to broadcast or appear superior, they will likely double down on the complexity, getting even more confusing in hopes that you will back off.
Testing a sentence in this way reveals the heart. True intelligence has the power to compress and simplify; fake intellect can only expand and complicate.
Addressing the Issue Without Labeling the Person
There is a brilliant scriptural example that illustrates this: Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.
The critics of that day wanted to stone her; they wanted to label her a “sinner” and destroy her based on her failure, but Jesus Christ, however, used a prescriptive approach. He said, “Go and sin no more.”
Did you catch the wisdom there? In saying “sin no more,” Jesus acknowledged that she was sinning, and He addressed the problem directly. But by not calling her a “sinner,” He did not lock her into that identity. If He had labeled her, she might have died a sinner, but instead, He prescribed a new path, a way out.
And this is how we must communicate at work, at home, and everywhere. You can address a failure without attacking the person’s character. You can say there is a problem by prescribing the solution, rather than just talking or, worse, shouting about the mistake.
Continue Reading: The Lifting Rule: Why You Must Prescribe, Not Just Criticize
Intellectual Seriousness as a Spiritual Discipline
The Bible commands us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). In a modern context, this includes testing the intellectual spirits that drive our culture.
If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.
Galatians 6:3 NIV
Galatians 6:3 warns that if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Intellectual pretense is a primary form of this self-deception. When we refuse to speak plainly, we are often hiding a lack of depth or a fear of being found to be ordinary.
And show your own self in all respects to be a pattern and a model of good deeds and works, teaching what is unadulterated, showing gravity [having the strictest regard for truth and purity of motive], with dignity and seriousness.
Titus 2:7 AMPC
To walk in Intellectual Seriousness is to embrace the “Gravity” mentioned in the AMPC version of Titus 2:7. Gravity implies weight and moral authority. A person who speaks with gravity does not need to squeeze big words into a sentence to be heard; their integrity provides the volume. They understand that “taking life seriously” means recognizing that every word matters before God.
Why do people hide behind big words? It is most likely a defensive barrier. Just as a critic uses attacks to avoid the responsibility of a “prescription,” the fake intellectual uses complexity to avoid the vulnerability of being understood and potentially disagreed with.
The Critic vs. The Prescriber
The difference between a critic and a prescriber is the difference between movement and progress.
- The Critic: Focuses on the “what.” They identify the problem, the error, and the failure. While they may be factually correct, their energy is purely diagnostic, because there is no “lifting” power in a diagnosis alone.
- The Prescriber: Focuses on the “how.” They see the same problem the critic sees, but they immediately move toward a solution. They offer a way forward.
Promotion follows the prescriber because the prescriber adds value. When you become the person who solves problems rather than the one who merely announces them, you become indispensable to the system. You move from being a “cost,” someone who drains morale, to being an “asset,” someone who generates progress. And this reminds me of a very, very interesting article I wrote a while back: The Man in the Arena Daring Greatly
Continue Reading: The Lifting Rule: Why You Must Prescribe, Not Just Criticize
In our relationships and our workplaces, we must resist this. Just as I talked about in the Lifting Rule, there is no promotion in confusion. Promotion comes through being a “prescriber,” someone who can look at a complex problem and offer a clear, actionable way forward. And if you can not explain your point in simple terms, you have not mastered it yet.
Moving Toward Unadulterated Truth
The goal of my blog, Value Faith, is to build character that is sound and fit and wise and wholesome. And this requires us to be patterns and models of good works, especially in how we communicate.
We must move beyond looking smart in the moment and instead pursue the deep purpose of being truthful, and this means:
Examining your own work: Do not compare your vocabulary to your neighbor’s; test your own conduct and clarity.
Sowing Simplicity: If you sow seeds of clear, honest communication, you will reap a harvest of trust and influence.
Refusing to be Bulldozed: Use the neutral, curious tone to keep discussions grounded in reality and in simple terms.
Read Also: The Trojan Horse: Discerning The Destructive Gift
Read Also: Mount Stupid: The Paradox of Knowledge and Overconfidence
Read Also: Your Full Tenacity or Forfeiture: The Choice is Yours
Conclusion
My dearest readers, do not be deceived by the noise. Do not let the “vocabulary of the week” intimidate you into silence. Carry yourself with the dignity and seriousness of someone who knows the truth or wants to know the truth. When you test every spirit and every sentence, you protect your heart from deception and your mind from pride.
Because in the end, the person who walks in godly seriousness stands out as a radiant light in a world of intellectual pretenders.
