[MD] Anti-intellectualism revisited

[david]

Jan Anders Andersson said to DMB, June 22nd 2014:

...Your inlays are quite worthy as John is not the only one that needs some of this. I have some discussions now and then who I have to spend some time on to get what kind of language they'll understand. John [Carl] doesn't seem to understand yours or RMPs, that's sad but it can't just be impossible.

dmb says:
What's impossible (logically speaking) is valid criticism without FIRST understanding the thing being criticized. In the same way, it's logically impossible to grasp and hold a thing without first knowing where to find it. 

Ant McWatt replied to Jan:

...Otherwise, I guess John Carl is symptomatic of a society (namely the United States) that is still overshadowed by its founding by religious zealots. Of course, the USA has produced some great intellectuals  ..but there remains this social history and its debilitating influence right up to the modern day.  Now, I know in the UK, there is less evidence of this intellectual-social type of conflict.  For instance, the Church of England has been on the wane for a good hundred years plus so its influence on everyday life here is now minimal.   ...Anyway Jan, presumably modern day Scandanavia is more similar to the UK (than the USA) in this regard though no doubt you can enlighten me if not!



dmb says:
While it's true that the USA suffers much more religious fundamentalism than the other Western nations, Europe's social-intellectual conflicts have actually been far worse. We never had to deal with full blown fascism or communism. We had a lesser storm, a milder hurricane, as Pirsig puts it. On both sides of the pond, I think, the main problem pivots around money. The problem with fundamentalism isn't just a matter of having a very bad metaphysics or otherworldly values, although that's true too. The problem is that fundamentalism is used by the monied interests to convince voters to vote against democratic principles and against their own financial interests. Religion is a tool of the manipulators, one that has almost nothing to do with spiritual growth or development and everything to do with obedience and control.