# the anti-intellectual intellectual
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 24, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235 "2003-05-24T14:57:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@saiorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saiorse)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/1 "2003-05-24T14:57:43Z")
an tasteful article were publish in swedish newspaper some weeks ago, it promoted the topic of joseph goebbels and his quest (burning of the books) to liberate us,laymen, from our silly dreams of being authors, scholars and so on and so forth.
this topic was rather alluring to me so i started to scour my fact books for other great men that could have been labelled as anti-intellectual intellectuals but sadly i havent really found anything.
so now i wonder if anyone might be able to give some pointers in my search?
i know that the nihilists of “father and sons” by ivan turgenjev are resembling goebbels and that some profane religious scroll does to but otherwise im lost
so if anyone know anything about the topic or so please please say so
the article in swedish - [http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1194&a=140376&previousRenderType=2](http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1194&a=140376&previousRenderType=2)
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/2 "2003-05-24T15:21:10Z")
I suppose that one _might_ put into that category B. F. Skinner and his thoughts (expressed in the title of his book **Beyond Freedom and Dignity** ) regarding the use of applied Behavioral Psychology to improve the overall lot of humanity.
Certainly, any serious effort at censorship may attract such people. (Not all censorship would qualfy for your question, as much (most?) of it is simply reactionary fear expressed in a desire to destroy anything that promotes the objects that are feared.)
You might search for the _Index Librorum Prohibitorum_ or information on Pope Paul IV (under whom the first _Index_ was published in 1559. They basic notion of the _Index_ was to “save” the unschooled from being led astray, so documents declaring why it was instituted or essays written at the time it was created might explore their rationale.
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### Author:  [@saiorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saiorse)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/3 "2003-05-24T15:51:45Z")
cheers mate
not sure if i agree to that censorship is anti-intellectualism but still huge thanks
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### Author:  [@LeprechaunPaul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeprechaunPaul)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/4 "2003-05-24T17:18:22Z")
Read The American Scholar. While not openly anti-intellectual, it does express concern over complacent readers that fail to actually do anything other than acquire knowledge, or at least the part I read for an essay did.
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### Author:  [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/5 "2003-05-24T17:52:46Z")
You may wish to read, “The New Left (The Anti-Industrial Revolution)” by Ayn Rand. She provides some valid insights into this phenomenon. Her other work, “Philosophy Who Needs It” cuts psychobabblers like BF Skinner three new rectal orifices.
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/6 "2003-05-24T18:29:46Z")
I suppose Mao Tse Tung is an obvious example-- he composed poetry which was by all accounts quality work, and then virtually outlawed literature.
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### Author:  [@saiorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saiorse)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/7 "2003-05-24T20:06:14Z")
oh thanks everyone
strangely ive found books that imply that both emanuel swedenborg, the swedish scientist, mystic and religious techer, were anti-intellectual and that the scottish scholar edward irving were also an anti-intellectual.
tho it seems that alot of people seem to think that religious teachning that uses some sort of ethical teologi are anti-intellectual, which to me seems rather daft
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### Author:  [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-intellectual-intellectual/177235/8 "2003-05-24T20:28:20Z")
I’m not sure if this is what you’re talking about, but Pol Pot tried to eliminate all traces of foriegn influence from the Cambodian culture in the mid 70s. He had most educated people executed in an attempt to protect the cambodian youth from their corrupting influence.
Saddam Hussein tightly controlled what information was avaible in Iraq. So did Stalin in Russia. I don’t know if this is the kind of “great men” :rolleyes: you are looking for.