this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2023
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One of the most aggravating things to me in this world has to be the absolutely rampant anti-intellectualism that dominates so many conversations and debates, and its influence just seems to be expanding. Do you think there will ever actually be a time when this ends? I'd hope so once people become more educated and cultural changes eventually happen, but as of now it honestly infuriates me like few things ever have.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is such a great take. I've never considered it like this

[โ€“] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Thanks, I'm already thinking of ways I am off the mark though, like how things like race science and eugenics have been the "academic" position in the past.

I think properly working the academic consensus into your mind involves also understanding that it's the product of people. It's not that different from having some trust in institutions outside of academia too. There were people in the sciences fighting bitterly against those trends, and in the long run their position became standard.

[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think there's a point to be made here about trust vs faith

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Yeah probably. I don't like the idea of having faith in science of course, considering that science is done by people, and people aren't infallible. But it's the best tool we have for preserving and interacting with past ideas and breakthroughs. I suppose the thing I'd have to have faith in is humanity's drive to understand a "truth" that holds up to scrutiny, instead of the characterization some have of human beings as creatures that wish only to satisfy existential terror incuriously.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks, I'm already thinking of ways I am off the mark though, like how things like race science and eugenics have been the "academic" position in the past.

That was very useful to people. It's not like a majority, even those disliking academia, will trust no scientific study or something, they just don't trust the ones they disagree with politically

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

This is an uncomfortable reality but the more recent examples of the sciences and humanities being considered progressive overall gives me hope.