Anti-intellectualism

Anti-intellectualism contrasts the reedy scholar with the bovine boxer; the comparison epitomizes the populist view of reading and study as antithetical to sport and athleticism. Note the disproportionate heads and bodies, with the size of the head representing mental ability and the size of the body representing physical ability. (Thomas Nast)

Anti-intellectualism is hostility to and the distrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectualism.

Overview

People who follow anti-intellectualism usually say that education and philosophy are overrated. They also say that art, literature, history, and science are impractical, politically motivated, and even contemptible human pursuits. Anti-intellectuals usually style themselves to be those who understand the common people. They see themselves as part of these common people too. They are like populists who fight against a political and academic elite. For them, educated people are a class that dominates political discourse and more advanced education while not understanding the concerns of ordinary people.

History

Modern period

In the past, totalitarian governments have manipulated and applied anti-intellectualism to repress political dissent.  During the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939) and the following dictatorship (1939 – 1975) of General Francisco Franco, the reactionary repression of the White Terror (1936 – 1945) was notably anti-intellectual, with most of the 200,000 civilians killed, being mostly the Spanish intelligents, the politically active teachers and academics, artists and writers of the deposed Second Spanish Republic (1931 – 1939). During the Cambodian Genocide (1975 – 1979), the totalitarian regime of Cambodia led by Pol Pot nearly destroyed its entire educated population.