--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to…" description: "\"Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind.\" — Os Guinness" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/os-guinness-6581_anti_anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to_1746590.png" --- # Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the… ![“Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind.” quote by Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/os-guinness-6581_anti_anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to_1746590.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/os-guinness-6581_anti_anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to_1746590.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/os-guinness-6581_anti_anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to_1746590.png) > “Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind.” [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques a mindset that devalues truth and intellectual pursuits **In simple terms:** Dismisses truth and thinking Key Takeaway Value truth and critical thinking Themes knowledge truth intellectualism Mood critical concerned Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - Education - media consumption - public discourse Key Concepts Skepticism cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - How does anti‑intellectualism affect society? - What encourages valuing truth? A Different Perspective Intellectualism can be dismissed for convenience ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intellectualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectualism/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [At root, evangelical anti-intellectualism is both a scandal and a sin. It is a scandal in the sense of being an offense and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/at-root-evangelical-anti-intellectualism-is-both-a-scandal-and-a-sin/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [The opposition to teaching evolution is, of course, almost always given a religious reason. That may usually be its real basis, but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-opposition-to-teaching-evolution-is-of-course-almost-always-given/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) > [I am also greatly indebted to Bergson, William James, and John Dewey. One of my preoccupations has been to rescue their type of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/i-am-also-greatly-indebted-to-bergson-william-james-and-john-dewey/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [There is a need for expertise, for real expertise. I'm not doing much to help that cause, but I think we can find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/there-is-a-need-for-expertise-for-real-expertise-i-m-not-doing-much/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [Why get excited over this latest episode in the long, sad history of American anti-intellectualism? Let me suggest that, as patriotic Americans, we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/why-get-excited-over-this-latest-episode-in-the-long-sad-history-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-is-a-cult-of-ignorance-in-the-united-states-and-there-has/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There's a lot of anti-intellectualism in Britain. And the writer's views on this or that are really of less importance, as they see it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/there-s-a-lot-of-anti-intellectualism-in-britain-and-the-writer-s/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [ When I wrote that \[Donald\] Trump piece, I had this uncomfortable experience of sensing a lot of things that were nascent, that I couldn't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/when-i-wrote-that-donald-trump-piece-i-had-this-uncomfortable/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Anti-intellectualism has long been the anti-Semitism of the businessman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/anti-intellectualism-has-long-been-the-anti-semitism-of-the/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Anti-intellectualism has spawned an irrelevant gospel. Today, we share the gospel primarily as a means of addressing felt needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-moreland/anti-intellectualism-has-spawned-an-irrelevant-gospel-today-we-share/) [J.P. Moreland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-moreland/) > [The displacement of the idea that facts and evidence matter by the idea that everything boils down to subjective interests and perspectives is -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-laudan/the-displacement-of-the-idea-that-facts-and-evidence-matter-by-the/) Larry Laudan > [Sadly enough, there is a kind of an anti-intellectualism among many Christians: spirituality is falsely pitted against intellectual comprehension as though they stood in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/sadly-enough-there-is-a-kind-of-an-anti-intellectualism-among-many/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [I asked many friends if Australian anti-intellectualism was still a living force and they all told me it was. If you are above average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/i-asked-many-friends-if-australian-anti-intellectualism-was-still-a/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [I'm going to insist that we've got decent funding, enough teachers, and computers in the classroom, but unless you turn off the television set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-m-going-to-insist-that-we-ve-got-decent-funding-enough-teachers-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More by Os Guinness > [Too often we forget that the great men of faith reached the heights they did only by going through the depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/too-often-we-forget-that-the-great-men-of-faith-reached-the-heights/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [There are lots of people depending on the government who are good, honest citizens who have worked all their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/there-are-lots-of-people-depending-on-the-government-who-are-good/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [What is undeniable is that when comforts and convenience sap our energies and idealism, inactivity secretes sloth in to our minds like a poison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/what-is-undeniable-is-that-when-comforts-and-convenience-sap-our/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Freedom is not the permission to do what you like. It's the power to do what you ought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/freedom-is-not-the-permission-to-do-what-you-like-it-s-the-power-to/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“It is realistic rather than cynical to observe that in a fallen world there are degrees of virtue in relation to what is right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/it-is-realistic-rather-than-cynical-to-observe-that-in-a-fallen-world/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [For the grand and inescapable tradition of western literary classics confronts us with fundamental choices over our understanding of words, reading and art, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/for-the-grand-and-inescapable-tradition-of-western-literary-classics/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“The story is told of Socrates walking through the market in Athens, with its groaning abundance of options, and saying to himself, "Who would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/the-story-is-told-of-socrates-walking-through-the-market-in-athens/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching committment to faithfulness, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/by-our-uncritical-pursuit-of-relevance-we-have-actually-courted/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Evangelicalism can only remain evangelical if it is passionately serious about truth and theology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/evangelicalism-can-only-remain-evangelical-if-it-is-passionately/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“Sometimes when I listen to people who say they have lost their faith, I am far less surprised than they expect. If their view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/sometimes-when-i-listen-to-people-who-say-they-have-lost-their-faith/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [“Neither secular progress nor secular progressives have brought the West where they once promised. Nor can they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/neither-secular-progress-nor-secular-progressives-have-brought-the/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [This is also why it is wrong to treat God as a grand employment agency, a celestial executive searcher to find perfect fits for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/this-is-also-why-it-is-wrong-to-treat-god-as-a-grand-employment/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [We human beings are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts that are truly us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/we-human-beings-are-never-happier-than-when-we-are-expressing-the/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [Christ is the only way to God, but there are as many ways to Christ as there are people who come to Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/christ-is-the-only-way-to-god-but-there-are-as-many-ways-to-christ-as/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) [Explore all 98 Os Guinness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) ## More Anti quotes > [“Our real self is under siege by our anti-self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-firestone/our-real-self-is-under-siege-by-our-anti-self/) [Lisa Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-firestone/) > [I think some people think I'm, like, anti-label, and I'm not. I just wanted to sign a deal when the time was right. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/i-think-some-people-think-i-m-like-anti-label-and-i-m-not-i-just/) [Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/) > [I was involved in the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-involved-in-the-anti-war-movement/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Make no mistake about those who call themselves anti Zionist are anti Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/make-no-mistake-about-those-who-call-themselves-anti-zionist-are-anti/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“Why is the truth usually not just un- but anti-interesting?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/why-is-the-truth-usually-not-just-un-but-anti-interesting/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [You don't have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-galvin-lewis/you-don-t-have-to-be-anti-man-to-be-pro-woman/) Jane Galvin Lewis > [You can't be pro-labor and anti-business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-schilling/you-can-t-be-pro-labor-and-anti-business/) [Bobby Schilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-schilling/) > [I always have my anti-germ-y wipes, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-williams/i-always-have-my-anti-germ-y-wipes-always/) [Wendy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-williams/) > [“I don't think I'm anti-social. I just like to be alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gin-getz/i-don-t-think-i-m-anti-social-i-just-like-to-be-alone/) Gin Getz > [I used to be very anti-bath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bowen-yang/i-used-to-be-very-anti-bath/) [Bowen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bowen-yang/) > [There are those who would say that those who are for two states and dividing Jerusalem are anti-Israel. In that case then, I'm anti-Israel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haim-saban/there-are-those-who-would-say-that-those-who-are-for-two-states-and/) [Haim Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haim-saban/) > [“He wasn't anti-gun really—he just wasn't pro-being-shot-at.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-p-knave/he-wasn-t-anti-gun-really-he-just-wasn-t-pro-being-shot-at/) [Adam P. Knave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-p-knave/) > [I'm anti-tax, but I'm pro-carbon tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/i-m-anti-tax-but-i-m-pro-carbon-tax/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [There was no reason to label us as anti-Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-le-pen/there-was-no-reason-to-label-us-as-anti-semitic/) [Jean-Marie Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-le-pen/) > [You know, I was a school rebel. Whatever they said do, I didn't do. I was totally anti-everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/you-know-i-was-a-school-rebel-whatever-they-said-do-i-didn-t-do-i-was/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) Browse all 193 Anti quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Os Guinness" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to-discount-the-importance-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anti" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to-discount-the-importance-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/os-guinness-6581_anti_anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to_1746590.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/os-guinness-6581_anti_anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to_1746590.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcd/os-guinness-6581_anti_anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to_1746590.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount the importance of truth and the life of the mind.” — Os Guinness", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Os Guinness", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Anti-intellectualism is a disposition to discount...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to-discount-the-importance-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/anti-intellectualism-is-a-disposition-to-discount-the-importance-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```