the war on intelligence

I've been getting progressively more and more disturbed by a tenor of the national debate. A kind of disdain for, a hatred of, intelligence, of intellectual discourse, a dismissal of this kind of activity as elitist and out of touch with the American ethos.

This is unacceptable.

I have always been an intelligent human being, this was always a point of pride, a happy thing, a quality that I was pleased with. My mother and father, both, are intelligent human beings -- they read books and newspapers and discuss with enthusiasm and knowledge the arts, politics, the sciences and many other topics. They are curious, questing, interested and interesting people.

I grew up like that. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the discourse that I encountered in my home, and at other people's homes. When I was a teenager, in the late '60s and early '70s, we all turned into ungrateful rebellious monsters. We loathed our parents, on principle, and we loathed their values. We began our own intellectual discourse. This was a good thing. We were politically and philosophically and culturally engaged and excited. We loved ideas.

This continued into college, of course. When I went to college, it was not with an eye to ending up well-positioned for an obscenely well-paid career, it was with an eye to learning fun and interesting things. When I began to travel, on my own and in earnest, it was also with an eye to having adventures, integrating myself into new cultures, learning other languages and other ways of living.

When I lived in Europe, many times over the years, I was always struck by the fact that sitting around discussing an arcane subject, dissecting a statement, parsing a book, analyzing a film, all of this was regarded as a legitimate activity, a worthy endeavor, NOT a waste of time.

Intellectualism as a positive -- what a refreshing idea.

Now I live in the U.S., and I find that, in this place and this time, it is a dangerous and negative attribute. I wonder if sometime soon, I will be arrested and incarcerated for speaking intelligently about something, or if my thoughtful discussion of a book or an article will be interpreted as a subversive activity...

1984 indeed. Who would've thunk? Twenty-five years later, in this country, this country that values -- or once valued -- free speech and new ideas. What has happened to us? Is it the Forrest Gump syndrome? A movie that I always hated because I thought that it celebrated mediocrity and idiocy. That its subtext was, if you're stupid and kind you will succeed. These are the qualities that are revered and to be emulated.

We, as human beings, if you accept the theory of evolution, which I am aware is even now being disputed vociferously all over this country, have big brains. Our brains incorporate the more primitive functions -- our reptilian brain, for example -- with more advanced functions, our neocortex. We have big brains, and we use them in unusual ways. We learn. We retain. We learn more. We are "brain-heavy." We are smart. We should use our "smart muscle."

I do not want to be simply a "reptilian brain" sort of person. The four F’s of reptile brain behavior – "feeding, fighting, fleeing and reproduction" -- is not how I want to live.

I do not want to be simply stupid and kind. I do not want to spend time with people whose only attributes are stupidity and kindness. I want wit and intelligence and brightness and creativity and originality and a questioning, curious approach to things. I want compassion and sensitivity, all the baggage that comes with complex higher brain functions. I want to hear "subversive" thoughts -- ideas that go against the tide of what we have had, the years of fear and stupidity and mediocrity. I want us all to be brave and intelligent and questioning.

Then, maybe, we can stop worshiping at the altar of mediocrity. And we can get back to the business of being smart and curious and creative and compassionate, in short, we can go back to the business of being better people.

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Ah, and what does Mike say, you ask. Well, Mike has quite a lot to say about this, so I think I'll let him say it himself, in his own post.