The Intellectual

Ah, the intellectual. Pure, unadultered science is what motivates you. The world is an interesting place, and you want to pick it apart and see how it works.

You are probably not all that impressed with traditionalists or liberal philosophers, or the pedestrian commonalities of contemporary idealists. You see instead a fourth path to enlightenment: that of logic and reason. Modern ideas do not interest you, as you know that every fact is accompanied by an irrefutable opinion, and there is simply no room for such romanticism.

History, philosophy, and a multitude of cultures are all familiar to you, and you revel in the delight of learning even more. There is simply no limit to your understanding, except what you are able to read. The intricacies of language are second nature to you, and you probably can speak more than one. Which is useful, because you love to travel to places where you might need it. While others are content to revel in the intellectual impoverishment of our time, you set your sights higher--probably with the aide of a sextant. Because you're an intellectual, and you probably have one. 

Editors Note:

Although it's now taken over twenty hours to complete (and if you calculate in all the years I've spent compiling this information for my own purposes a good deal longer), I'm very pleased with how this test has turned out. Yet even more gratifying are the responses I've been getting from people. If you were wondering, I am a traditionalist, and knowing about my heritage and celebrating my customs is one of the most important aspects of my life. It has been since I was a child, and in reality I created this test more for my own interests and curiosity than for entertainment value. If I succeeded in both then that's just a bonus.

The greatest compliment I've gotten from people is that this test has made them consider their own heritage more deeply, and want to find out more about where they came from. This wasn't a necessarily a goal I had in mind when I created the test, but to hear that I've sparked some interest in a person's lineage, however small, is an incredibly rewarding experience. Our lives are so determined by where we have come from, our past, that to learn more about those indelible links is often times an overwhelming experience. To know that my great, great, great grandfather was a signer of the Declaration of Independence helps me appreciate the history of my country, America, in a much deeper and more personal way. And, like as not, amazing links can be found in almost anyone's history.

Whatever your score, whatever your ideas on the issues I've raised here, I want to sincerely thank you for spending the time to take my test, and hope that you've enjoyed it.

I also have a ton of resources for learning about your own history, and I'd be happy to share them with anyone who was interested. And feel free to send me your thoughts and comments, or even your ideas for the test! I love to read them, and might even post a few in the test itself.

Viel Glück,

- Errantblue

Answers to the Geographical and Historical Questions:

Q 27: A little trickier. What country is highlighted by the red dot?

          A: Nigeria

Q 28: You live in Romania and you travel directly south. What country are you in?

          A: Bulgaria

Q 29: Mao Tse Tung...

          A: Was a communist Chinese military leader

Q 30: Rome ceased its expansion into Britainia because...

          A: A and B

Q 31: What famous building is this?

          A: St. Basil's Cathedral

Q 32: If you went to South Africa, could you speak English?

          A: Yes, you could.

Q 33: Where do you think this might be?

          A: Northern England

Q 34: Aryan...

          A: Is an ancient Indo-Iranian word refering to a caste of nobility.

Q 35: Which mythological cycle describes a creator god who emerged from an egg and split himself into two people, one male and one female?

          A: Indian Mythology

Q 36: Lao Tzu has remained historically significant because he...