--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Two intellectual consequences of literacy…" description: "\"“Two intellectual consequences of literacy were the separation of history from myth and the increased individualism based on highly specialized knowled..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/wendy-griswold-33303_history_two-intellectual-consequences-of-literac_2205109.jpg" --- # Two intellectual consequences of literacy were the… ![“Two intellectual consequences of literacy were the separation of history from myth and the increased individualism based on highly specialized knowledge. In literate cultures, people are stratified on the basis of what they have read; academic disciplines and college majors are an obvious example…” quote by Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/wendy-griswold-33303_history_two-intellectual-consequences-of-literac_2205109.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/wendy-griswold-33303_history_two-intellectual-consequences-of-literac_2205109.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/wendy-griswold-33303_history_two-intellectual-consequences-of-literac_2205109.jpg) > ““Two intellectual consequences of literacy were the separation of history from myth and the increased individualism based on highly specialized knowledge. In literate cultures, people are stratified on the basis of what they have read; academic disciplines and college majors are an obvious example of this kind of specialization.”” [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literacy separates myth from history and creates individualism through specialized knowledge, leading to stratified societies based on reading and academic fields. **In simple terms:** Reading creates history and individualism based on knowledge. Key Takeaway Recognize how specialization shapes social hierarchy. Themes education individualism specialization social stratification Mood analytical critical thoughtful Type academic analytical When to use this quote - University curricula - career counseling - media literacy - public policy - library services Key Concepts Cultural theory knowledge economics sociology Questions to Reflect On - How does specialized knowledge affect social mobility? - What can mitigate stratification from reading? A Different Perspective Specialization can reinforce inequality and limit interdisciplinary understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [“More than twenty years ago Sir Charles Snow lamented the sharp division between “The Two Cultures,” the literary/artistic and the scientific. My observations over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-snow-lamented-the-sharp/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“We don’t normally think of it as such, but writing is a technology, which means that a literate person is someone whose thought processes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/we-don-t-normally-think-of-it-as-such-but-writing-is-a-technology/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. 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