Questions About Anti-Intellectualism in American Life

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, please sign up.

Answered Questions (1)

Reviewers claim that this book is strikingly relevant for application in our current society. But hasn't quite a lot happened since 1964, to make other book(s) on the topic even more relevant?

Roy I actually think more recent books may be less relevant, because they are tied up in the issues of our time. I think Hofstadter's book holds up well, …moreI actually think more recent books may be less relevant, because they are tied up in the issues of our time. I think Hofstadter's book holds up well, because it shows how attitudes towards academic learning and expertise have evolved over American history. Most recent books seem to treat this as a recent phenomenon, and often as only a function of something like stupidity. Hofstadter, who was writing in such a period in the 1950s, not only embedded it in historical context, but showed how such attitudes are part of the dichotomies in the American experience and philosophy. Although the book reads much more like an academic book than I expect from Pulitzer winners, it provides a context that is necessary to understand our current cycle of anti-expertise reactions.(less)

flag

Unanswered Questions

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more