Nerds and North American Anti-Intellectualism

[tealin]

I just heard a really fascinating discussion on the radio about Americans' mistrust of book-smarts, how this is apparent in the culture as a whole and affecting academic performance vs. the rest of the world. It was gratifying to hear confirmation of some of my own observations about the matter and doubly exciting to hear further conclusions and comparisons to other cultures from an actual anthropologist. Luckily the show is available as a podcast, so I don't have to rely on my shoddy memory! Right-click and download! I highly recommend listening to it; it's not too long (only the first segment of the show) and is really, really fascinating.

Unfortunately it adds another issue to the ever-growing list of Things Which Massive Injections of Cash Will Not Fix But Can Only Be Solved by a Massive Societal Overhaul, so it's unlikely ever to change.

Comments

[ravenclaw-eric.livejournal.com]

Anti-intellectualism isn't necessarily a Bad Thing in and of itself; I've noticed that many Europeans are extremely willing to swallow whatever some bookish pontificator says. This has led to all sorts of trouble.

I will say that open hostility to the intellect is a Bad Thing, but just because someone's got a degree does not make him infallible. I've known scientists, Mensa members, and professors who believed things that were so silly, I had a hard time believing that they were serious.

[thegina.livejournal.com]

I agree with this. Having a degree, even a doctorate degree, doesn't mean you can't still sometimes be a dumbass about something. However, it does mean you are probably likely to know more about your field of study than someone like me, in their second year of undergrad. I think everyone would do well to become more philosophical and to question more. It's not an issue of 'I have this degree and I've read more books so you should not question what I say'. Knowledge itself has only come to be as a result of people observing the world around them and drawing conclusions, and questioning each other, and correcting each other. That's why you shouldn't just blindly eat up whatever someone else says is true, whether that someone is a professor, or a textbook.

[ravenclaw-eric.livejournal.com]

My own take is that reflexive kowtowing is just as bad as reflexive hostility.