The Wright brothers, who fulfilled the centuries-old dream of humanbeings flying, were by no means intellectuals. Nor were those whoconquered the scourge of polio and other diseases, or who created theelectronic marvels that we now take for granted.
All these people produced a tangible product or service andthey were judged by whether those products and services worked. Butintellectuals are people whose end products are intangible ideas, andthey are usually judged by whether those ideas sound good to otherintellectuals or resonate with the public.
Whether their ideas turn out to work-- whether they make life better or worse for others-- is another question entirely.