Comments on: American Unreason and Anti-Intellectualism http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/american-unreason Contagious Thoughts, Mutating as Needed Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:43:00 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: VirusHead http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/american-unreason/comment-page-1#comment-76707 VirusHead Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:57:39 +0000 http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/susan-jacoby-the-age-of-american-unreason-anti-intellectualism-lawrence-h-summers-richard-hofstadter-salon-books/#comment-76707 Enthusiasm for a book on anti-intellectualism returns these comments - fascinating. I suppose the thing that bothers me most is that people who truly and humbly approach the biblical scriptures with curiosity seem to have gone underground. There is such a thing as an intellectual interest in biblical texts. There is no mandate to be ignorant and strident and arrogant just because you have a faith tradition. There are many faith traditions, and also many creation narratives. But there are also scientific facts, and I reject the framing of science as a form of religion. It is a common ground for methods of discerning the relationships of things in the cosmos. Who is to say that selection is not a method of creation? But I would quibble with literalists who have no ear for the metaphorical and mythological aspects of some of the biblical texts, which include many different genres. How do we know what we know? That's the study of epistomology. Curious religious minds - intellectual religious minds - explore such questions. What hope is there is life without the "One True God"? If that's what you need to prevent yourself from going on a shooting spree, you need help. What I object to is the either/or mentality that has thrown complexity out the window. As for "privitization" - hasn't that just become a codephrase for corruption and exploitation? I'm a capitalist, but I feel that there has to be some kind of mechanism that puts brakes on the pillaging that always results from rampant greed. Profit can be made without hurting people, land, food... Where is the idea of stewardship here? Isn't government in America meant to be a kind of commons for the good of all, and by and for all? Where have these ideas gone? Enthusiasm for a book on anti-intellectualism returns these comments – fascinating.

I suppose the thing that bothers me most is that people who truly and humbly approach the biblical scriptures with curiosity seem to have gone underground. There is such a thing as an intellectual interest in biblical texts. There is no mandate to be ignorant and strident and arrogant just because you have a faith tradition. There are many faith traditions, and also many creation narratives.

But there are also scientific facts, and I reject the framing of science as a form of religion. It is a common ground for methods of discerning the relationships of things in the cosmos. Who is to say that selection is not a method of creation? But I would quibble with literalists who have no ear for the metaphorical and mythological aspects of some of the biblical texts, which include many different genres.

How do we know what we know? That’s the study of epistomology. Curious religious minds – intellectual religious minds – explore such questions.

What hope is there is life without the “One True God”? If that’s what you need to prevent yourself from going on a shooting spree, you need help. What I object to is the either/or mentality that has thrown complexity out the window.

As for “privitization” – hasn’t that just become a codephrase for corruption and exploitation? I’m a capitalist, but I feel that there has to be some kind of mechanism that puts brakes on the pillaging that always results from rampant greed. Profit can be made without hurting people, land, food… Where is the idea of stewardship here? Isn’t government in America meant to be a kind of commons for the good of all, and by and for all? Where have these ideas gone?

]]> By: Steve http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/american-unreason/comment-page-1#comment-76705 Steve Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:55:55 +0000 http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/susan-jacoby-the-age-of-american-unreason-anti-intellectualism-lawrence-h-summers-richard-hofstadter-salon-books/#comment-76705 Virus head stated: "How depressing" with regard to Paul's comment "50% of the people in the state where I live believe that only creationism should be taught in public schools." It's even more depressing knowing that there are some out there who believe something came from nothing! Evolutionists assume everything we see around us up to this very point in human history as evolving from nothing! What's even more depressing is that people are convincing themselves & their children that this is true? What hope is there in life without the One True God? No wonder people go on shooting sprees and malls in this country. Without hope & without God in this world. Another form of anti-intellectualism going on in this world...and it's all brought to you by Government schools (so much for separation of Church & State. The athiests need their theology too!! Unfortunately, they have methodically & ingeniously cloked themselves as atheological) Virus head stated: “How depressing” with regard to Paul’s comment “50% of the people in the state where I live believe that only creationism should be taught in public schools.”

It’s even more depressing knowing that there are some out there who believe something came from nothing! Evolutionists assume everything we see around us up to this very point in human history as evolving from nothing! What’s even more depressing is that people are convincing themselves & their children that this is true? What hope is there in life without the One True God? No wonder people go on shooting sprees and malls in this country. Without hope & without God in this world.

Another form of anti-intellectualism going on in this world…and it’s all brought to you by Government schools (so much for separation of Church & State. The athiests need their theology too!! Unfortunately, they have methodically & ingeniously cloked themselves as atheological)

]]> By: Steve http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/american-unreason/comment-page-1#comment-76704 Steve Tue, 19 Feb 2008 18:43:00 +0000 http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/susan-jacoby-the-age-of-american-unreason-anti-intellectualism-lawrence-h-summers-richard-hofstadter-salon-books/#comment-76704 This is not new. Read up on Neil Postman & his books. He's done pretty indepth studies on this (see Amusing ourselves to death). Why are we surprised? The US Government shouldn't be in the business of educating or providing services to it's people. Privatization will allow competition to occur and services to be refined. And we want universal health care? Good night! We'll get the same thing in the medical industry as we've got in the school system. Lord have mercy! This is not new. Read up on Neil Postman & his books. He’s done pretty indepth studies on this (see Amusing ourselves to death). Why are we surprised? The US Government shouldn’t be in the business of educating or providing services to it’s people. Privatization will allow competition to occur and services to be refined.

And we want universal health care? Good night! We’ll get the same thing in the medical industry as we’ve got in the school system. Lord have mercy!

]]> By: Bob Brancato http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/american-unreason/comment-page-1#comment-76698 Bob Brancato Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:59:46 +0000 http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/susan-jacoby-the-age-of-american-unreason-anti-intellectualism-lawrence-h-summers-richard-hofstadter-salon-books/#comment-76698 My point about the nuclear family disintegration and disinterest is documented on a personal level that I believe expands to a much broader, national statistic. Coincidentally, many of my close friends are teachers. Their employ spans elementary, middle school, and high school ranges. Although not a sample size large enough for scientific validation, they teach in varying communities with a range of economic conditions, Maine to Florida. The single one observation they relay is the lack of attendance by parents at parent/teacher functions. One friend teaches 1st grade in probably the most affluent school district where I live. Five out of twenty four parents showed up at her first PTA meeting! She scheduled it for two consecutive evenings to facilitate attendance. Bob <em>Bob Brancato's last blog post..<a href='http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/zEyM/~3/235892057/10-golf-thoughts-for-weekend.html' rel="nofollow">10 Golf Thoughts for the Weekend</a></em> My point about the nuclear family disintegration and disinterest is documented on a personal level that I believe expands to a much broader, national statistic. Coincidentally, many of my close friends are teachers. Their employ spans elementary, middle school, and high school ranges. Although not a sample size large enough for scientific validation, they teach in varying communities with a range of economic conditions, Maine to Florida. The single one observation they relay is the lack of attendance by parents at parent/teacher functions. One friend teaches 1st grade in probably the most affluent school district where I live. Five out of twenty four parents showed up at her first PTA meeting! She scheduled it for two consecutive evenings to facilitate attendance.

Bob

Bob Brancato’s last blog post..10 Golf Thoughts for the Weekend

]]> By: Don Thieme http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/american-unreason/comment-page-1#comment-76690 Don Thieme Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:14:37 +0000 http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/2008/02/15/susan-jacoby-the-age-of-american-unreason-anti-intellectualism-lawrence-h-summers-richard-hofstadter-salon-books/#comment-76690 I think anti-intellectualism runs very deep in American culture. The popular press and cultural icons bring it to center stage. The products of our best minds and scientific laboratories do not interest us while we all obsess over Paris Hilton going to jail. This is an adult and young adult phenomenon which has more to do with our image of an ideal person and our role models than it does with our families and time spent with parents or relatives. I think anti-intellectualism runs very deep in American culture. The popular press and cultural icons bring it to center stage. The products of our best minds and scientific laboratories do not interest us while we all obsess over Paris Hilton going to jail. This is an adult and young adult phenomenon which has more to do with our image of an ideal person and our role models than it does with our families and time spent with parents or relatives.

]]>