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."
Interpretation
This quote critiques the anti-intellectual attitude present in society, suggesting that ignorance is often wrongly equated with knowledge in democracy.
Isaac Asimov's quote highlights the persistent issue of anti-intellectualism in the United States, where ignorance is sometimes valued on the same level as knowledge, particularly in a democratic context. He argues that this mindset undermines informed decision-making and progress by fostering a culture that dismisses expertise and facts, allowing misinformation to thrive and influencing the political and cultural landscape negatively.
In practice
In a discussion about education reform, one might invoke this quote to argue against anti-intellectual attitudes.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation. Human dignity cannot survive it. Convenience and decency cannot survive it. As you put more and more people into the world, the value of life not only declines, but it disappears. It doesn't matter if someone dies.
Science does not promise absolute truth, nor does it consider that such a thing necessarily exists. Science does not even promise that everything in the Universe is amenable to the scientific process.
Democracy cannot survive overpopulation.
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value.
During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.
It has been my experience that competency in mathematics, both in numerical manipulations and in understanding its conceptual foundations, enhances a person's ability to handle the more ambiguous and qualitative relationships that dominate our day-to-day financial decision-making
You cannot open a book without learning something.
Pretending is not just play. Pretending is imagined possibility. Pretending, or acting, is a very valuable life skill and we do it all the time.
Whenever I start a book, I swear it's going to be a short one. But then it's, 'Who was his grandfather? And how did he get there in the first place? And what kind of animals is he chasing?'
I started teaching when I was in my 20s because Lee Strasberg asked me to, and he didn't do that with a lot of people.
If you're last in your class at Harvard, it doesn't feel like you're a good student, even though you really are. It's not smart for everyone to want to go to a great school.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.