This essay can be read in my 2020 book, Essays on Free Knowledge. Perhaps ironically, it is no longer free.
UPDATE: I’ve posted a very long set of replies.
UPDATE 2: I’ve decided to reply below as well–very belatedly…
This essay can be read in my 2020 book, Essays on Free Knowledge. Perhaps ironically, it is no longer free.
UPDATE: I’ve posted a very long set of replies.
UPDATE 2: I’ve decided to reply below as well–very belatedly…
[…] אינטלקטואלית שצומחת דווקא מתוך התת-תרבות הגיקית ברשת? לארי סאנגר טוען שכן ומנסה להראות כיצד באופן אירוני דווקא הגיקים שמאז […]
This warning seems particularly startling, coming from a co-founder of Wikipedia. It kind of reminds me of General Eisenhower’s warning about the Military-Industrial Complex as he ended his presidency.
In the end, it’s less about the truth of who owns wisdom, and more just another class/political struggle.
I am from an family of education. One thing my momma taught me is that when the totalitarians move in, the first thing they do is wipe-out the intellectuals.
Sometimes it feels like we are repeating what happened that led to the murder of Hypatia of Alexandria and the destruction of the library- the final end of classical antiquity.
This isn’t an “anti-intellectualism” in the same spirit that oppressive regimes have used this term, and it’s unfair to even use that term to characterize it that way.
The truth is “geeks” are supplanting academics in brick and ivy institutions. We are undermining and replacing a slow, outmoded, expensive, and ineffective academia with something sleeker and more effective.
Well, that’s a new one. Never heard anybody say that geeks are replacing academia. And how, exactly, are geeks doing that? Is there, say, research or teaching involved (one hopes)?
[…] profit rather than cultural or pedagogical motives. (I might only add that this analysis touches on a separate debate in digital land about anti-intellectualism in the tech space.) Nice tux, check … intellectual arm candy, check … actually doing something for public […]
[…] the link to Sanger’s post. Go read it, and the comments, for […]
[…] la question posée par Larry Sanger (via Pablo). Le constat de Sanger est le suivant […]
[…] Few months ago Peter Thiel of PayPal relaunched the topic of an “education bubble”, topic that would be more seriously considered if he didn’t prefer to kill the debate with an “indecent proposal” of $100,000 to twenty smart guys to leave the university and join his company (two-years contract). This drew a lot of attention on it, but, again, I think it killed the debate at the same time. Larry Sanger kept it alive with a post titled “Is there a new geek anti-intellectualism?”. […]
Two remarks:
First, I miss a definition of how you define intellectualism, because that would be helpful to understand how the “anti-” came along. If I take your four points on anti-intellectualism, “intellectualism” would be:
1) Intellectuals are experts who define what is known.
2) They like to write books alone.
3) They like to read old books.
4) They like to memorise stuff.
5) They come out of colleges and they don’t care for success.
I doubt that this is what intellectualism is or was about, except in its caricature.
Second, what you describe as “geek anti-intellectualism” actually sounds like a 21st century stereotype of what used to be the negative type of intellectualism, just with a focus on web issues instead of books.
So in total, I don’t get your point, because you use a caricature of “old” intellectualism to caricature “new” intellectualism (geekish people), which neither is helpful for understanding the first nor for getting the second.
Very interesting article. It ended up generating 20 minutes worth of debate on our weekly podcast. It starts at the 31 minute mark at http://baldmove.com/2011/06/the-seven-deadly-degrees-of-bacon-episode-68/ if you want to hear our take on it. I’d say we’re mostly on the Sanger side of the issue, with a few quibbles here and there.
I was a professional student while at the university. I hopped from one school on to another, Literature, Law, Medicine, Engineering and Architecture. When I came to this country, I was hired in the aerospace/space industry but disappointed by the profiling and polarizing existing, I opted to work for the government. Big mistake both, I should’ve stayed with the space part (at least I had fun creating things). However, having 3 master degrees have not helped me since. Government does not care if you are an intellectual; I have seen ‘burger flipping’ people being hired and soon are in mgmt. Good for them, but these institutions render education useless. In today’s world, an education seems to be a waste of resources: time and money. Tuitions are prohibitive, can’t afford and one never pays it or get you money back. Institutions (K – 12) are a joke and produce a fool’s clump; if you don’t agree, offer a burger flipper other than the exact change, one can get rich by confusing them, they can’t figure it out. Need to say more? I vote for getting some practical knowledge, forgo the lengthy education and keep your money in your pocket.
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