Anti-intellectualism

To quench the thirst of knowledge must surely quantify the purpose of the human race. To describe us is to describe the only entity in the history of existence that has actively attempted to understand – life, the universe, and everything. Without our knowledge, we stand for nothing, idly resting as mere imbeciles. It must be a crime on humanity to refuse knowledge, and yet it happens all the time. Martin Luther King Jr, a man whose reputation speaks for itself, justifiably declared that “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” War, disease, hatred, earthly hazard, discrimination, inequality, stupidity, ignorance, premature death and practically all other conflicts in our domain have a common derivative amongst their others; if these effects are the flames of the fire evil, then anti-intellectualism is the fuel by which that fire burns.

Those with the intent to unmake knowledge – the anti-intellectuals – have plagued us throughout history. For instance, the burning of the library at Alexandria and the censorship of truth by the medieval church lead to the dark ages. And indeed, the problem existed long before the librarian Hypatia's death and long after the crusades became nothing more than a blemish in European history. In 1963, Richard Hofstadter published the book Anti-intellectualism in American life. The book is 50 years old, and considered by some to be dated, but most, if not all, of its allegations are still relevant today. The contention is raised that America, and western society as a whole is handicapped in the area of scientific acceptance. He fears that as intellectualism declines, so too does the state of living. Though much has changed for the better since his time, Hofstadter examines many of the troubles that still provoke modern society. The Vietnam war and the war in Iraq both seemed to follow the logic that thrives in American politics as pointed out by Hofstadter years before. The reluctance of schools to accept evolution, which Hofstadter specifically warns about, is still a major hindrance 80 years after it was first debated in 1925. The thesis he presents is still as true as it is unnerving even in modern times. The wisdom of science and reason is frustratingly still condemned by the public.

In his 2011 film Science Under Attack, Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse hits the nail on the head when he says that the people of the 21st century don't trust science enough. Interviews with climatologists, HIV/AIDS specialists, and genetic researchers present the contention that science is becoming under-appreciated and isn't trusted enough. When Nurse interviews radicals who don't believe in climate change or evolution and even deny the existence of the HIV retrovirus, an obvious showcasing of buffoonery, it becomes clear that emotions have often clouded over reason in the public view. Ignorance continues to permeate through society in a grand array of forms.

One of the best examples of intentional anti-intellectualism is the rejection of evolutionary theory. 1859 saw the introduction of evolutionary thought by the researcher Charles Darwin in his book The Origin of Species. By 1925, the novel had transformed into a commonly accepted scientific field in the same vein as physics and chemistry worthy of public school classrooms. However, the American congress almost neglected to accept in in the national curriculum. Fueled by the republican party and an extremely religious public, opposition to the acceptance of evolution lead to one of the largest cultural debates in history. It was eventually won by the intellectuals, but after such a rocky start, it remained a problem even into modern times. In an interview with Laura Sheahen, respected biologist Richard Dawkins explains how evolution has been rejected by the great creationist masses. He explains that not only can evolution coexist with religion, but the level to which it is rejected by the religious population is ludicrous. He at least insinuates that science isn't trusted by the public at the level it should be, and he justifiably describes the arguments of skeptics as “propaganda,” pointing to their, “staggering ignorance of what evolutionary science is about.”

Anti-intellectualism isn't just a harm to the abstract progression of knowledge however. Climate change, a shockingly real and tangible issue all over the world, is directly fueled by ignorance. Because so many don't believe it is an effect of our own doing, our fate has been sealed. The only way to try and fix the environment is through active participation in its repair, an outcome that can only occur after knowledge of the problem has created passion. Sadly, it doesn't look like that's the path we've taken. According to an edition of the Sunday Times, a respectable museum in London now reflects public opposition to climate science in a very real way. To accommodate those who don't trust climatologists, the museum has actually changed the name of one of its exhibits from “Climate Change Gallery” to “Climate Science Gallery.” The Discovery channel almost refused to air an episode of a BBC documentary Frozen Planet series that supports climatologists. Even the words of former vice president Al Gore don't seem to have swayed the public substantially. We are all doomed to a forever ravaged planet and the sad death of many forms of life – possibly even ourselves – and the blame is almost entirely ascribable to anti-intellectualism, the mother of all curses to humanity.

Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly or it vanishes into thin air like a fire with no fuel of its own. We cannot be such a foolish people as to not value it over all things, and yet we still allow ignorance into our lives. To deny evolution is absurd; to deny climate change is foolhardy. We must no longer kid ourselves. We must continue our journey in the pursuit of knowledge, for with out it, all is lost. Anti-intellectualism is an obstacle in our journey's path, but nothing more. With the help of proper education and activism, we shall end its tyranny and thus we shall begin our lives at long last enlightened by science and reason.