Intellectuals vs Scholars?

An intellectual is someone who studies on their own time, who learns and enjoys learning, for the sake of knowledge.

A scholar is someone who does the exact same thing... but pays an institution to validate their need for glory.

Well, Julia there gave you the cut and paste dictionary definition, the denotations of each.

The connotations are a bit different, to me, anyway.

I think the difference is that a scholar's intellect comes from schooling. Being a scholar implies that one is either currently involved in scholastic activities, or has a degree from having done so.

An intellectual, on the other hand, is merely one who uses his intellect.

I would describe myself as an intellectual, but not a scholar. I have a voracious thirst for knowledge, but the only degree I possess is a GED.

To be slightly more clear than the first answer (no offense, I dearly hope), a scholar is someone who has learned a particular field at a University or other place of higher education, and is certified to have extensive knowledge on their subject.
An intellectual, however, is simply an individual who has taken time to learn as much as is freely available, entirely through personal interest, as much of a field as they can cram into their heads, through research and forums and whatnot, simply to know so that if they need it (which they will probably make sure they do) they can be of the greatest assistance. But, because an intellectual is not bound by an educational course, they may not have the most intimately deep knowledge of a scholar, but a broader field due to the freedom of exploration throughout all things learn-able, instead of restrictions into single-subject knowledge.

I hope that made more sense than when I was thinking it...

schol·ar   /ˈskɒlər/ Show Spelled[skol-er] Show IPA
–noun
1. a learned or erudite person, esp. one who has profound knowledge of a particular subject.
2. a student; pupil.
3. a student who has been awarded a scholarship.


in·tel·lec·tu·al   /ˌɪntlˈɛktʃuəl/ Show Spelled[in-tl-ek-choo-uhl] Show IPA
–adjective
1. appealing to or engaging the intellect: intellectual pursuits.
2. of or pertaining to the intellect or its use: intellectual powers.
3. possessing or showing intellect or mental capacity, esp. to a high degree: an intellectual person.
4. guided or developed by or relying on the intellect rather than upon emotions or feelings; rational.
5. characterized by or suggesting a predominance of intellect: an intellectual way of speaking.
–noun
6. a person of superior intellect.
7. a person who places a high value on or pursues things of interest to the intellect or the more complex forms and fields of knowledge, as aesthetic or philosophical matters, esp. on an abstract and general level.
8. an extremely rational person; a person who relies on intellect rather than on emotions or feelings.
9. a person professionally engaged in mental labor, as a writer or teacher.
10. intellectuals, Archaic .
a. the mental faculties.
b. things pertaining to the intellect.

A scholar is someone who is undertaking a scholarship, whereas an intellectual is based simply on one's intellect. I should think that an intellectual need not be a scholar. Surely, someone who is intelligent can have his own reasons for not taking on a scholarship. Also, it would be an assuption to say that all scholars are intellectuals, though that may be a reasonable assumpttion to make.

The best answer I can give is that a scholar is a professional intellectual while an intellectual is a lay scholar. It is very similar to the division between a clergyman and a lay preacher. Both have the intellectual knowledge but differ in their scholarship.

BTW Julia, you do need to CREDIT your definitions. You are treading very close to plagiarism.