Intelligence and Power Structures

Back40 at Muck and Mystery has an excellent essay today on the view of Democrats that the Conservatives are somehow less 'intelligent'. bq. Anti-Intellectualism The heart of Timothy's argument in the previous post, that "Bush is popular with some voters precisely because of his malapropisms, his anti-intellectual stance, because they see a resemblance to themselves and because that resemblance aligns them with him against educated elites" is echoed in this opinion piece by Frank Furedi in of all places The Scientist.

The lack of cultural affirmation for the promotion of science has little to do with science as such. Among young people, the reaction against science and experimentation has not led to the establishment of alternative outlets for the development of intellectual curiosity. Previously, when young people became estranged from science, they turned to the humanities and liberal arts. Today's generation of students has adopted a distinctly pragmatic approach and is turned off by history, social theory, and philosophy as it is by science. The status of science is not merely at stake but also that of intellectual life in general. Ideas such as 'knowledge for its own sake' or the passionate pursuit of scholarship increasingly risk labels such as irrelevant and elitist. Einstein's conviction that "the search for the truth" is "more precious than its possession" makes little sense in an age of rival rationalities.

bq. Furedi makes the same mistake as Timothy, voicing a narrative that has become dominant however false. People are not anti-intellectual, opposed to or disinterested in knowledge and a life devoted to its acquisition, they are opposed to the power structures of the educational establishment with its arcane quasi-religious forms and practices, and the types of individuals who inhabit these monasteries. bq. Knowledge is being democratized, priests are no longer relevant or admirable. Scholars in funny hats and medieval trappings living lives of petty disputes and unearned privilege seem increasingly vulgar. The nearly unbroken string of crushingly stupid prescriptions for society which demonstrate the narrowness of their knowledge as well as their emotional and general intellectual immaturity, coupled with exposure to greater numbers of people in this age of hugely increased attendance at educational institutions, has demystified their cult, shown the little men and women behind the big voices for what they truly are. bq. This is a great good thing. As ever more people have access through information and communication technologies to written materials and live commentary by both professional and amateur scholars the increase of the general level of knowledge in the social mind is explosive. It is uneven, and includes as much dross as gold, as we should expect. Every idea is exposed to critique by commenters ranging from the intelligent and informed to delusional ignoramuses. They not only critique the ideas of the anointed, they have the temerity to propose their own theories. bq. It's like the aftermath of cheap printing when the Christian religious world fragmented, birthing arguably superior faiths as well as insane short lived cults, and everything in between. It's like the industrial revolution when every man might tinker up a major invention in his home shop, even develop the first powered flight vehicle in a bicycle shop. The era of big science is ending for this cycle. Small is once again beautiful and creative amateur geniuses may once again make major contributions to society. Back40 makes some other really good points too -- check out his previous post as well for more. I think that Blogging fits in here too -- the blog is the private printing press of the masses.