--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anti-intellectualism is itself a means of…" description: "\"“Anti-intellectualism is itself a means of short-circuiting democracy, because a stable democracy in any culture relies on the public actually understa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/thomas-m-nichols-8933_democracy_anti-intellectualism-is-itself-a-means-o_2022716.jpg" --- # Anti-intellectualism is itself a means of short-circuiting… ![“Anti-intellectualism is itself a means of short-circuiting democracy, because a stable democracy in any culture relies on the public actually understanding the implications of its own choices.” quote by Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/thomas-m-nichols-8933_democracy_anti-intellectualism-is-itself-a-means-o_2022716.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/thomas-m-nichols-8933_democracy_anti-intellectualism-is-itself-a-means-o_2022716.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/thomas-m-nichols-8933_democracy_anti-intellectualism-is-itself-a-means-o_2022716.jpg) > ““Anti-intellectualism is itself a means of short-circuiting democracy, because a stable democracy in any culture relies on the public actually understanding the implications of its own choices.”” [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anti‑intellectualism undermines democracy by preventing citizens from grasping policy consequences. **In simple terms:** Ignoring expertise harms democratic decisions. Key Takeaway Promote civic education and critical thinking. Themes democracy education citizen engagement Mood concerned thoughtful Type analytical political When to use this quote - voting - public debate - community forums - media literacy Key Concepts public understanding political literacy civic responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can societies encourage informed participation? - What role should education play in democracy? A Different Perspective If the public lacks expertise, decisions may still be misinformed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) ## Related quotes > [Intellectualism, though by no means confined to doubters, is often the sole piety of the skeptic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/intellectualism-though-by-no-means-confined-to-doubters-is-often-the/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) > [There's too much democracy in the culture, not enough in the society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/there-s-too-much-democracy-in-the-culture-not-enough-in-the-society/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech, not simply legal protection of free speech. It encourages independence of mind. It imparts a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/a-well-functioning-democracy-has-a-culture-of-free-speech-not-simply/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [They think democracy -- I used to say damn the democracy, because it's not a stable government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/they-think-democracy-i-used-to-say-damn-the-democracy-because-it-s/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) > [“This is the cycle of a dynamic society. Equality is never a final state, democracy never a stable equilibrium: they are processes, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hayes/this-is-the-cycle-of-a-dynamic-society-equality-is-never-a-final/) [Christopher Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hayes/) > [If the strong exploit the weak, democracy will not be stable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/if-the-strong-exploit-the-weak-democracy-will-not-be-stable/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [“It was probably inevitable that the anti-intellectualism of American life would invade college campuses, but that is no reason to surrender to it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/it-was-probably-inevitable-that-the-anti-intellectualism-of-american/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. 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Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding-its-way/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“above all, intellectual. Anti-intellectualism is one of the grand unifying themes of the backlash, the mutant strain of class war that underpins so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-frank/above-all-intellectual-anti-intellectualism-is-one-of-the-grand/) [Thomas Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-frank/) > [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/) ## More by Thomas M. Nichols > [“Conspiracy theorists manipulate all tangible evidence to fit their explanation, but worse, they will also point to the absence of evidence as even stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/conspiracy-theorists-manipulate-all-tangible-evidence-to-fit-their/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Today, by contrast, students explode over imagined slights that are not even remotely in the same category as fighting for civil rights or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/today-by-contrast-students-explode-over-imagined-slights-that-are-not/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“And when voters lose control of these important decisions, they risk the hijacking of their democracy by ignorant demagogues, or the more quiet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/and-when-voters-lose-control-of-these-important-decisions-they-risk/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“As the economic writer Ben Casselman pointed out in 2016, most college applicants “never have to write a college entrance essay, pad a résumé…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/as-the-economic-writer-ben-casselman-pointed-out-in-2016-most-college/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“People do not come to the Internet so that their bad information can be corrected or their cherished theories disproven. Rather, they ask the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/people-do-not-come-to-the-internet-so-that-their-bad-information-can/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“If the public has no idea about the substance of an issue, and will vote based on who they like rather than what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/if-the-public-has-no-idea-about-the-substance-of-an-issue-and-will/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“The issue is not indifference to established knowledge; it’s the emergence of a positive hostility to such knowledge. This is new in American culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-issue-is-not-indifference-to-established-knowledge-it-s-the/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“At the root of all this is an inability among laypeople to understand that experts being wrong on occasion about certain issues is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/at-the-root-of-all-this-is-an-inability-among-laypeople-to-understand/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“The requirements of a degree in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), a demanding foreign language, or a rigorous degree in the humanities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-requirements-of-a-degree-in-a-stem-field-science-technology/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“In 2015, a Massachusetts accountant named Stephen Pasceri lost his seventy-eight-year-old mother to cardiovascular disease. Mrs. Pasceri had a long history of health trouble,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/in-2015-a-massachusetts-accountant-named-stephen-pasceri-lost-his/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/there-is-a-cult-of-ignorance-in-the-united-states-and-there-always/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“The modern media, with so many options tailored to particular views, is a huge exercise in confirmation bias. This means that Americans are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/the-modern-media-with-so-many-options-tailored-to-particular-views-is/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Americans no longer distinguish the phrase “you’re wrong” from the phrase “you’re stupid.” To disagree is to disrespect. To correct another is to insult.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/americans-no-longer-distinguish-the-phrase-you-re-wrong-from-the/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“There aren’t enough pages in this or any other book to catalog the amount of bad information on the Internet. Miracle cures, conspiracy theories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/there-aren-t-enough-pages-in-this-or-any-other-book-to-catalog-the/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) > [“Populism actually reinforces this elitism, because the celebration of ignorance cannot launch communications satellites, negotiate the rights of US citizens overseas, or provide for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-m-nichols/populism-actually-reinforces-this-elitism-because-the-celebration-of/) [Thomas M. Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) [Explore all 76 Thomas M. Nichols quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-m-nichols/) ## More Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. 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