Vivat Libertas

Written for The Activists , hut I don't think I'll post it there; it's turned from a revolutionary speech into an examination of anti-intellectualism. Our world is arguably pervaded by anti-intellectualism. Boys are taught to favour brawn over brains, while girls are raised from the cradle to be pretty and charming rather than intelligent. Politicians and the media push simple, populist views - apparently not thinking that the electorate is capable of understanding anything complex - while education has been steadily dumbed down over the years, to the point where some subjects are basically lessons in how to pass exams. Fewer young people read for pleasure, and even adults are worryingly poorly-read - a recent FDA report stated that most American adults read between seventh- and ninth-grade level. Intellectuals are portrayed as being out of touch with the world, their learning irrelevant. What's worse is that the world of academia does indeed have many failings - fo...

Why be erudite? Why be learnéd? I don't claim to be either of these things, though I aspire to them. Most people can't see the point of learning for learning's sake, and many never make an effort to out of pure, unadulterated anti-intellectualism. I come up against this question, whether other people ask me to my face or whether I ask myself: what's the point of learning for fun? I've got two answers, the first fanciful (and rather weak) and the second hopefully more robust. The first answer is, well...more of a question. What's the point of whatever hobby you're into? Why do you do it? Enjoyment  - simple enjoyment, that's all. Follow it up with a little bit of relativism about how other people's interests are generally not  subject to such questioning, and BAM! Instant pretentious argument! I don't like this way of thinking. Relativism is a little bit dodgy to rely on, and the argument itself is shallow, stating "I enjoy it"...