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=               Anti-intellectualism_in_American_Life                =
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                            Introduction
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'Anti-intellectualism in American Life' is a book by Richard
Hofstadter published in 1963 that won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for
General Nonfiction.


                              Summary
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In this book, Hofstadter set out to trace the social movements that
altered the role of intellect in American society. In so doing, he
explored questions regarding the purpose of education and whether the
democratization of education altered that purpose and reshaped its
form.


                              Analysis
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In considering the historic tension between access to education and
excellence in education, Hofstadter argued that both
anti-intellectualism and utilitarianism were in part consequences of
the democratization of knowledge. Moreover, he saw these themes as
historically embedded in America's national fabric, resulting from its
colonial and evangelical Protestant heritage. He contended that
evangelical American Protestantism's anti-intellectual tradition
valued the spirit over intellectual rigor.


                             Definition
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Hofstadter described anti-intellectualism as "resentment of the life
of the mind, and those who are considered to represent it; and a
disposition to constantly minimize the value of that life." He further
described the term as a view that "intellectuals...are pretentious,
conceited... and snobbish; and very likely immoral, dangerous, and
subversive ... The plain sense of the common man is an altogether
adequate substitute for, if not actually much superior to, formal
knowledge and expertise."


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