"What a time to be an academic: Aggressive forms of surveillance and discipline, institutions crumbling or bending the knee to the current administration, artificial intelligence (AI) destroying cognitive skills in the youth, and state or federal policies destroying research budgets and curricular creativity, to name only a few of the generally overwhelming number of challenges. I am just a lowly religion professor in the humanities,"
"The most obvious starting point is recognizing that anti-intellectualism is entrenched in the cultural soil of the United States. The go-to examination of this prominent and powerful force is the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Richard Hofstadter, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life. It was written in 1964, but is undoubtedly relevant today, identifying deep-rooted American sensibilities that denigrate scholarly pursuits and the life, and beauty, of the mind. These sensibilities are reaching their apex in the current cultural landscape."
Aggressive surveillance, disciplinary regimes, administrative compliance, AI-driven cognitive erosion, and shrinking research budgets are creating overwhelming challenges for academics. Anti-intellectualism is deeply rooted in American cultural soil, denigrating scholarly pursuits and the life and beauty of the mind. The spirituality of capitalism channels education toward pre-professional and career-planning priorities, marginalizing liberal arts and curricular creativity. Historical evidence shows that small religious minorities can, on occasion, transform entire societies, demonstrating persistent religious influence on social change. Religious sensibilities infuse critiques of higher education and shape perceptions of intellectual life.
Read at Psychology Today
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