The Dynamics and Political Implications of Anti-Intellectualism in the United States

Motta, Matthew

doi:10.1177/1532673x17719507

Cited by 200 publications

(187 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…The phenomenon of anti‐intellectualism and its connections to political mobilization, especially on the right, is not a new story (Hofstadter, ). Indeed, there is a burgeoning literature on how politicized distrust of expert knowledge has been a core component of building the Trump coalition in the US (see for example Oliver and Rahn, ; Motta, ) and of the ‘populist turn’ more generally (Brubaker, ). There is also the particular question of the status of sources of economic knowledge, be they the academic field of Economics or more generally the type of economic knowledge, advice and forecasting typically espoused by different types of economic policy institution (Watson, ; Earle et al ., ; Dow, ).…”

Section: Economists and Brexitmentioning

confidence: 99%

European Integration and the Politics of Economic Ideas: Economics, Economists and Market Contestation in the Brexit Debate

Rosamond

2020

J of Common Market Studies

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Debates about the economy are central to political exchange and political choice is typically presented as a matter of selecting among rival economic competence claims. The capacity to speak with authority about the economy or to draw upon accredited economic expertise is an important source of political advantage. However, the Brexit process is a form of politicized market contestation that has taken place against the backdrop of significant challenges to expert authority. This article shows how key parts of the Leave campaign developed three strategies within the discursive politics of Brexit: setting aside the economy as a central issue in Brexit; advancing alternative economic knowledge to that of institutionally advantaged professionals; and creating a cadre of alternative economic experts. The article suggests that attempts to use the inherently depoliticizing logic of causal ideas derived from authorized economic knowledge has not prevailed over the central normative beliefs that drive ‘Brexitism’.

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Section: Economists and Brexitmentioning

confidence: 99%

European Integration and the Politics of Economic Ideas: Economics, Economists and Market Contestation in the Brexit Debate

Rosamond

2020

J of Common Market Studies

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“…Anti-intellectualism is also identified as an explanation for the lack of critical assessment of information connected to climate change. Anti-intellectualism is associated with negative attitudes and public distrust towards scientists and experts and goes beyond party-membership or ideology (Motta 2018). In contrast, Gauchat (2012) finds that anti-intellectual attitudes have been increasing for decades, particularly among conservatives.…”

Section: Anti-intellectualismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, Gauchat (2012) finds that anti-intellectual attitudes have been increasing for decades, particularly among conservatives. Motta (2018) explains that anti-intellectualism increases the probability of denying scientific consensus, such as the existence of anthropomorphic climate change or the safety of nuclear power. He finds that anti-intellectualism doubts the expert consensus connected to climate change and nuclear power (Motta 2018).…”

Section: Anti-intellectualismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trust and the Media: Perceptions of Climate Change News Sources Among US College Students

Cheng

González-Ramírez

2020

Postdigit Sci Educ

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With increasing fake news and polarizing politics, Americans have been exposed to false or misinterpreted scientific information. A disconnect between the scientific community and news outlets has perpetuated public uncertainty about climate change. With the widening of such disconnect, it is crucial to understand how youth, who mainly use digital sources for information, comprehend climate change, as such a demographic will be a vehicle for climate change mitigation. We aim to understand climate change knowledge and attitudes among college students and their trustworthiness of six news outlets as sources of information about climate change. Results from a survey show that students care and are aware of climate change. Moreover, students are hesitant about news sources for climate change information. While students trust more the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, local news sources to the college, they overall neither trust nor distrust CNN, The Washington Post, Fox News, and Breitbart. This hesitation to trust or distrust such contrasting news regarding climate change may be explained by the overabundance of misinformation, the usage of cognitive heuristics, the rise of anti-intellectualism, and the lack of digital literacy, which make processing information more challenging in this postdigital era. We conclude by emphasizing the need to develop different information literacies in higher education. As digital platforms continue to grow, it is important to understand how youth receive and process information about topics like climate change in a complex information ecosystem.

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“…Academic freedom is a liberty and has also been described as an individual—as well as a collective—right and responsibility. It is this richness perhaps that has sometimes also caused confusion, even within the scholarly community (see Gardner, ; MacDonald & Williams, ; Motta, ). For example, reference is often made to the so‐called Chicago Statement or Chicago Principles on Freedom of Expression (University of Chicago, ), to which more than 50 universities and colleges in the United States have explicitly or substantially subscribed (according to the conservative group, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, ).…”

Section: Academic Freedom—what It Is and Is Notmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academic freedom and an invitation to promote its advancement

Bartel

2019

Geographical Research

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Academic freedom is under threat internationally. Several high profile incidents suggest that academic freedom is a principle neither well understood nor appreciated by key decision makers and stakeholders whom one might expect to champion it, be they in government or within the academy itself. Among those incidents are the arbitrary exercise of ministerial discretion to override the Australian Research Council expert peer review recommendations for allocation of funding, recent attacks on the credibility of academic publishing internationally, and the atrocious treatment of scholars by authoritarian regimes across the globe. In light of such developments, the membership of the Institute of Australian Geographers recently adopted a resolution that, inter alia, called on the Council of the Institute of Australian Geographers ‘not to be silent on the issue of attacks on critical scholarship, academic freedom and the integrity of academic procedures in higher education, research and publishing’. Given the complexity of the issues, this paper invites further discussion and debate on how Australian geography and geographers might better appreciate and advance academic freedom including via the promotion of scholarship that gives full effect to the principle.

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The Dynamics and Political Implications of Anti-Intellectualism in the United States

Cited by 200 publications

References 42 publications

European Integration and the Politics of Economic Ideas: Economics, Economists and Market Contestation in the Brexit Debate

European Integration and the Politics of Economic Ideas: Economics, Economists and Market Contestation in the Brexit Debate

Trust and the Media: Perceptions of Climate Change News Sources Among US College Students

Academic freedom and an invitation to promote its advancement

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