And more fully :
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
A Cult of Ignorance
Isaac Asimov
21 January 1980, Newsweek
https://aphelis.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ASIMOV_1980_Cult_of_Ignorance.pdf
Ok. Hot take: this is definitely elitist though.
There are definitely some premises and conclusions I can get behind:
There is in our world a culture of ignorance. Having social networks and cultures to promote/advocate for having a positive relationship to knowledge and intellectualism would be beneficial to our society.
Ignorance isn't equal to being informed.
But like.... The conclusion shouldn't be that people are wrong to be where they are nor should the reaction be to fault them for being too tired/uninterested in the world around them. This alienation doesn't get fixed by us shaming others towards growth/betterment.
This article that the renowned Mr Asamov wrote is speaking to an audience of intellectuals and saying ~ 'yes intellectuals are better than others, but don't worry we can fix them'
Things like road signs being simplified to symbols isn't to keep others from engaging in texts. Road signs being individually recognisable in widely variable road conditions is incredibly important. Prescriptions change over time, as people age, or due to other health conditions; road signs being recognisable by people whose prescription may have shifted within safe levels but can't see an eye doctor regularly is important.
Utilizing high-contrast iconography quickly communicates complex ideas, in ways that provide far more advanced notice than would be provided in words.
Do you really think we could tell the difference between "slow slippery" and "slow animals" at a hundred kilometres an hour, in the dark, from across the far side of a straight stretch?
You probably could with our current road signs.
Taking people where they're at is important. Having an announcer read what is on the screen helps those with disabilities or impairments as well as those who may struggle with literacy. What is so wrong with supporting people who need it?
Judging someone for needing something read to them is the surest way to keep them from reading or developing their literacy. Not everyone can benefit from quality education or attentive parents who can develop this skill with them at an early age.
People won't feel welcomed into intellectual communities when others say their knowing something is meaningless.
Not everyone is destined to be Einstein, that really is ok, and you won't have a fish learn to read if you assume it can't then judge it for not already being able to do so to your standard
Once more this is incredibly dismissive of people who may have experienced weaponized intellectualism.
In the last several centuries, in white European culture: entire regimented forms of culture and modes of speech were created then enforced to create a superior and an inferior, massive social and institutional forces were constructed to relegate outside modes of thinking, and hegemony was intentionally created as a tool through which to exploit
People in our society have been tired, traumatised, and exploited for a long time. Alienated people don't spend time on self actualisation or intellectualism and that isn't their fault. Forces have intentionally created a culture where folks have an insecure relationship to satisfying basic needs, and it is hard to tell who is deserving of trust when you are worried about putting food on the table and keeping yourself and your family safe.
How is someone supposed to tell the difference between the good hearted, competent, knowledgeable doctor who wants to best treat their patient and the money hungry doctor who is looking to shill for a kickback from pharmaceuticals by using big words when neither of them speak in a way that is understood.
The meta-narrative of this article by Asimov contributes to the feeling of alienation that people have when around intellectuals. It speaks down about the state of folk while paradoxically saying everyone can be a part of the intellectuals' elite. If you don't consider yourself a part of that elite while reading the article feels pretty shitty.
