I have a communist minded colleague who hates the US (even though he is black and been to the US for a long time) and he carries his anti US rants wherever he goes.

I am not suggesting any racial bias here towards any one and if Mods find my comment NOT PROPER, please feel free to delete it.

But he claims that the American society is an anti-intellectual one and he denies the fact that the most hardline socialist, communist, leftists, liberals and other hippies have found the US a very good place to live and preach.

Just by looking at the number of commie/left wing thinkers living in the US, it is not possible that the USA is an anti-intellectual society.

My colleague says the way the US society tries to reject EVOLUTION and brings up a phoney thing like the Intelligent Design is the proof of it.

I am not buying what he says and I still stand on my point about the fact that radical leftists (like Edward Said, Jacques Derida, Ward Churchil...etc) enjoyed living in such a free and democratic society.

So my question to the forum members is Do you think the US society is a populist, anti intellectual society?

Well, since we have free speech it's hard to be anti-intellectual, though I suppose if no-one wanted to listen to your rants it could be interpreted as such. However, we've recently seen a few examples of legit science being impeded by religion in America - specifically, the evolution vs. intelligent design debate and the legislation denying stem cell researchers federal money.

People in this country seem to view science as its own religion, which is quite a misconception. It's not fair to think that most scientists are atheists.

It's kind of obvious what side I'm on in all this. Watching the news about evolution vs. intelligent design is painful. That there might actually be legislation requiring the teaching of such a theistic idea in public schools is deeply troubling to me. Evolution is the foundation of modern biology.

I support stem cell research in all its forms because I don't believe a few cells constitute human life. According to my definition, life doesn't begin until the first nervous system activity occurs in the brain of the foetus.

Of course, this also means that I think abortion should be legal until such activity occurs, and if you haven't made up your mind by then and change it later, well, you can put the kid up for adoption.

Anyways, now that I'm way off-track, I think that America is not necessarily anti-intellectual (though certain prominent groups and organizations in the country are), but it is becoming decidedly closed-minded.

P.S.: I'm agnostic, in case that explains anything...

I'm agnostic too, but does identifying a group of cells as human life only once the nervous system is being developed mean an handicapped person with a non-working nervous system is not human life? How about someone in deep coma or with irreversible cerebral damages?
Wow, this is the most off-topic reply I have ever made. Sorry Phoenix.

Back to topic. No, I don't think the US is anti-intellectual country. At least not more than others. It actually has one of the broadest forms of freedoms you can find on this planet.

I'm agnostic/pantheist, and I don't think the US is anti-intellectual. Otherwise they'd not have so many technological innovations. There may be some anti-intellectual elements crying out in the news, but fortunately for that country, they don't seem to be getting the upper hand any time soon.

Originally Posted by major liability

I support stem cell research in all its forms because I don't believe a few cells constitute human life. According to my definition, life doesn't begin until the first nervous system activity occurs in the brain of the foetus.

Your definition of human life relies on a belief. So if people are against abortion, they aren't necessarily anti-intellectual in my book.

Originally Posted by phoenix80

Just by looking at the number of commie/left wing thinkers living in the US, it is not possible that the USA is an anti-intellectual society.

I'm curious about the statement above. Do you mean to imply that the intellectual level of a society is proportional to the relative presence of "left wing thinkers"? Do you mean to imply that a decline in the acceptance of Marxist or Socialist-based thinking suggests a decline in the intellectual level or capacity of that society?

I would suggest the opposite. Most hard-line leftists tend to live in a fantasy land that absolutely rejects empirical evidence that doesn't promote a given ideology. It's often religion posing as "progressive politics."

Beward the idiots who claim to have knowledge of "truth" regardless of which part of the political spectum they are on.

Originally Posted by Insight

I'm curious about the statement above. Do you mean to imply that the intellectual level of a society is proportional to the relative presence of "left wing thinkers"? Do you mean to imply that a decline in the acceptance of Marxist or Socialist-based thinking suggests a decline in the intellectual level or capacity of that society?

I would suggest the opposite. Most hard-line leftists tend to live in a fantasy land that absolutely rejects empirical evidence that doesn't promote a given ideology. It's often religion posing as "progressive politics."

Beward the idiots who claim to have knowledge of "truth" regardless of which part of the political spectum they are on.

Nope.

But since leftists think so, I tell them that look, your famous thinkers live in that society so please STHU.

I believe that intellectualism is not a left or right wing concept.

So you are merely parroting the positon of the Marxists? Why bother?

Originally Posted by Insight

So you are merely parroting the positon of the Marxists? Why bother?

I guess you havent got the point yet.

I am saying that leftists live freely in the US and preach what they wish but they still keep on nagging and complaining.

I guess I don't get the connection between the presence of leftists in the country and the critque of anti-intellectualism. You continue to imply that their presence in the country is somehow evidence against their charge of anti-intellectualism. That seemst be like stating that the presence of liberal-minded individual in Iran refutes the charge that it is a theocracy.

different.

The left minded intellectuals, in the States, can preach what they want but in countries like Iran any thing anti-Islam is suppressed and means a crime. These are two different stuff we r talkin about.

And this is not my belief... I am trying to say how leftists see the US on intellectual issues.

I believe the US is not an anti intellectual society. Period