Anti-intellectualism has been woven into America’s cultural fabric for decades, but in recent years it has surged into mainstream discourse with a new force. Politicians, influencers, and even neighbors increasingly champion a message that expertise, higher education, and literacy are overrated, or worse, elitist. It’s tempting to write this off as ignorance, but the truth is more complex. Anti-intellectualism appeals to people not simply because they dislike education, but because it soothes wounds tied to inequality, access, and self-worth.
What Is Anti-Intellectualism?
At its core, anti-intellectualism is distrust or outright hostility toward education, expertise, and those considered “intellectuals.” It frames specialized knowledge as elitist. And it glorifies “common sense” as the only wisdom that matters.
A central feature of modern anti-intellectualism is the false belief that educated people are automatically biased, and that schooling drives their political or social leanings. In reality, education equips people to recognize patterns, learn from history, and value evidence. These perspectives often lead to humanitarian or progressive stances, not because universities indoctrinate, but because informed people understand the cost of repeating past mistakes. They place a premium on preserving human life and improving its quality.
And this is exactly why anti-intellectualism is so useful to powerful industries. A critically thinking population is harder to exploit. Corporations profit when people don’t question the system, when they earn only to consume, and when they trade away decades of labor for the illusion of security at retirement. By undermining education and expertise, anti-intellectual rhetoric protects a status quo that benefits the few at the expense of the many.
Why Anti-Intellectualism Feels Good
For many Americans, higher education has always been out of reach. Whether blocked by income inequality, low socioeconomic status, or schools with underfunded and weak curriculums, millions never had the chance to thrive academically. When the system fails you, it’s natural to feel resentful toward those who seem to benefit from it.
So when a public figure says, “You don’t need experts. You don’t need books. You don’t need science or literacy to be just as valuable as anyone else,” it strikes a deep emotional chord. It tells those who were left behind by the education system that they aren’t missing anything. It equalizes the playing field in a way that feels empowering.
This comfort is an illusion. It may stroke the ego and dull the sting of inadequacy, but it doesn’t change the reality that a society without respect for knowledge is one on shaky ground.
The Truth About Expertise
Here’s the core problem: we actually do need experts. Expertise is not about being “better” than someone else. It’s about recognizing that certain skills and knowledge are acquired through years of focused study, and that those skills help all of us.
When an engineer designs a bridge, their education keeps it from collapsing. When an epidemiologist identifies patterns in disease, their training helps protect public health. When a historian preserves knowledge of past mistakes, their insight helps us avoid repeating them.
The notion that experts are unnecessary erodes trust in the very systems that make modern life possible. And while it might feel good to hear that education doesn’t matter, it’s ultimately destructive.
Education and Health: A Direct Link
Studies consistently show that educated populations are healthier populations. Literacy correlates with better health outcomes, higher life expectancy, and stronger civic participation. Education equips people not only with facts, but with the tools to evaluate information, weigh evidence, and make informed decisions.
Dismissing education in favor of ego protection risks undoing these benefits. It leaves communities more vulnerable to misinformation, poor decision-making, and leaders who exploit ignorance for power.
The Danger of “It’s Okay Where You Are”
One of the most insidious aspects of anti-intellectual rhetoric is the reassurance it offers: “You’re fine exactly as you are. You don’t need to grow. You don’t need to question.”
At first, this message feels compassionate. But in reality, it freezes people in place. Growth requires discomfort. Learning means admitting there are things you don’t know, and then working to close that gap. When society normalizes the idea that it’s virtuous to stay uninformed, we stop striving for better.
And when too many people accept stagnation, the entire social fabric begins to unravel. We risk it all falling apart, not because individuals failed, but because leaders decided stroking egos was more profitable than raising understanding.
What We Should Be Striving Toward
The goal shouldn’t be to flatten the playing field by cutting down education, but to lift more people into it.
- Invest in schools: Stronger curriculums, better teachers, more equitable funding.
- Expand access: Affordable higher education, vocational training, adult literacy programs.
- Normalize lifelong learning: Knowledge shouldn’t stop at graduation. Podcasts, online courses, community discussions all help create a culture where learning is celebrated.
Most importantly, we need to shift the narrative: learning doesn’t make one person “better” than another. It makes us collectively stronger.
Final Thoughts
Anti-intellectualism thrives because it feels good. It soothes old wounds created by inequality. But, it comes at a high cost. A society that dismisses expertise and discourages learning is a society that risks collapse.
Just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean it can’t be understood. That’s the beauty of education. It’s not about hierarchy. It’s about possibility.
We shouldn’t be satisfied with being told that where we are is enough. We should want more, not out of vanity, but out of survival. The healthiest, freest, and most resilient societies are the ones that embrace knowledge, not reject it. And if we want to thrive, we can’t afford to allow anti-intellectualism set the standard.
Lence in Layers 