Anti-intellectualism is a social problem, not just a social issue, because it has a direct and immediate bearing on the lives of individuals and because it has a long-term deleterious effect on social, economic, and political progress. Without information, the people have no power. If the tools of critical thought are not taught to children, an entire generation lacks access to power. In fact, critical inquiry, science, and intellectual debate are necessary to prevent tyranny and oppression. Especially in the current social and political climate in America, anti-intellectualism can become disastrous. Without fail, Trump's cabinet appointments and executive orders have reflected the trend towards anti-intellectualism: appointments of people who deny science and who disavow the power of public education. The anti-immigrant sentiment is not at all based on fact, for fact would show how integral immigrants are to American social, political, and economic life. Rather, the anti-immigrant sentiment is based on anti-intellectualism: on replacing fact with fear. For this assignment, I want to explore anti-intellectualism by showing how three sociological theories: conflict theory, functionalism, and symbolic interactionism, explain the social problem.
Conflict theory is rooted in
Although conflict theory traditionally focuses on class conflict, the sociological theory can be applied to any social issue in which there is a conflict between those who possess power, status, or resources, and those who desire more power, status, or resources. Anti-intellectualism is occasionally, but not always, an attempt by subordinate or low status persons to regain power by showing disdain for the power of knowledge, science, and critical thinking. Viewed in light of conflict theory, it may be possible to show how anti-intellectualism is an offensive defense in response to some groups' lack of access to the cultural capital needed to succeed in a competitive information-driven economy. However, not all anti-intellectualism is a backlash against elitism in
academia and it would be oversimplifying the issue to focus only on this application of conflict theory. Conflict theory can, for example, also show how anti-intellectualism is a trend used to keep low-status groups from attaining power. Anti-intellectualism is a
worldview that systematically discredits knowledge, critical thought, and information. People who come to believe that knowledge, critical thought, and information are tools of an imaginary elite can be easily swayed and influenced by nefarious groups like those who propelled Trump to power. According to conflict theory, information and critical thought should be viewed as a type of capital.
Unlike conflict theory, consensus perspective shows how people actively seek a preservation of the
status quo. Consensus perspective is related to functionalism, because both show how…
