Is There a New Geek Anti-Intellectualism?

Larry Sanger writes "Geeks are supposed to be, if anything, intellectual. But it recently occurred to me that a lot of Internet geeks and digerati have sounded many puzzlingly anti-intellectual notes over the past decade, and especially lately. The Peter Thiel-inspired claim that college is a waste of time is just the latest example. I have encountered (and argued against) five common opinions, widely held by geeks, that seem headed down a slippery slope. J'accuse: 'At the bottom of the slippery slope, you seem to be opposed to knowledge wherever it occurs, in books, in experts, in institutions, even in your own mind.' So, am I right? Is there a new geek anti-intellectualism?"

Comments

Re:Frist Psot

[Hylandr]

This sparks rage in me, and be prepared for a passionate, not flaming response.

 

Intellectual?

Plato? Proust? Swift? Wittgenstein? Wilde? Eco? Baudrillard? Pound? Spinoza? Aquinas? Borges?

What enrages me nearly beyond comprehension is the expectation that we must be versed in the F*Tards listed above in order to be considered "Intellectual". F* you and your tired demarcation of what constitutes mental prowess. The fact is that we have *moved on* and live in the now of our own immediacy. Knowledge of these people will rarely help you in any business or IT environment.

Granted, It's important to know how to *think* and having read of these people will *NOT* increase your ability in that capacity. If it did, we wouldn't be awash in college graduates that have to be taught to close the damn bathroom door to take a piss. ( Yes, there has been this talk. )

College may have been fine and dandy when the knowledge pool took generations to change. These days you will spend more time in college than most IT jobs last. College has outlived it's paradigm.

So please, get off your intellectual high horse and stop trying to justify the excessive tuition you may still be making payments on. The need and applicability have been analyzed and it's waste of time and money.

- Dan.