I know a lot of academics, mostly Ph.D.s, from a lot of different institutions and nations and they're often much the same: A belief that their training, skills and experience in the narrow confines of their highly specific area of research in their particular field makes them equally knowledgeable in all things.
This doesn't apply to every academic, obviously. Many are as humble as they are intelligent, and an absolute delight and pleasure to work with. But there's no shortage of insufferably arrogant types who will instantly dismiss out of hand the opinions of anyone without a doctorate.
And for the record, I would rate the general intelligence of the majority of that type of person as quite low. They are responsible for some of the stupidest things I've ever heard, or seen done. It's one thing to be preeminent in some very obscure and esoteric field of study; quite another to be the smartest man or woman alive, as so many of them appear to believe of themselves.
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A freshman knows he knows everything. A sophomore knows he knows nothing. A Ph.D. knows everyone else knows nothing.
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