There are always certain gaps in our understanding and with it comes the need of help of others to fill in the vacuum. It might be the blind spots we derive from our upbringing or our social circle, or the way misinformation manipulates or skews our thinking.

Talking to an expert seems to ...

Many people are intellectually unreliable, and can be driven towards influencing the views of others. They think they are right, and their thoughts are superior to others, leading to a constant desire to correct the other person and make people see their worldview.

The problem is not if th...

Most mentors or guides show the following signs to help you gauge if they are intellectually dependable:

1. Intellectual benevolence.
2. Intellectual transparency.
3. Communicative clarity.
4. Audience sensitivity
5. Intellectual guidance.

To seek the solution to the dilemma of intellectual dependency, we need to find a person having the basic virtue of intellectual benevolence, the added trust and care of the person who is approached by us.

Life is about learning, and if the mentor is displaying signs about a general quality of life learnings, in a Yoda like fashion, then the person possesses the virtue of intellectual guidance.

They make you navigate the situation in a manner that helps you minimize the risks, and learn in t...

If a mentor is unambiguous and completely clear in the communication, leading to a deep understanding and clarity on the subject, they are intellectually dependable.

A key sign here is that the simplicity and clear language, not hiding themselves under the garb or abbreviations and gib...

An expert should ideally be genuinely interested in solving your problem, to get you towards the truth, expand your knowledge, develop your skills and deepen your understanding.

The key sign to observe here is if the person is happy about your progress, or from the fact that their advi...

If the mentor is paying attention to the details of your views, experiences and unique traits, and then tailoring their response to fit the other person, then they are applying the appreciative quality of audience sensitivity.

Many who are not in the mode of listening, or are too self-...