Definition of Post-Intellectualism
The Theory
Specialization
These four components are exactly the opposite of our definition of Intellectualism. They define the mindset we find ourselves experiencing today. (For a mnemonic, think of the other S-I-D-E.)
Ignorance
Dumbth
Establishmentism
The post-intellectual culture is composed of specialists, experts, bureaucrats and technocrats. The individual no longer can handle his or her own affairs--we have lost our liberal arts perspective.
Overwhelmed by the Information Overload, we are so deluged with disconnected data that we no longer can assemble information into meaningful knowledge.
Steve Allen coined the term, Dumbth, to describe our increasing inability to think and act reasonably.
This refers to our acceptance of establishment values and institutions largely because we have lost our sense of perspective and individualism. Technological Determinism has robbed us of our ability to determine for ourselves where we are headed and what we should be doing.
These four components define our post-intellectual mindset--a loss of an individual sense of self-sufficiency, the disorientation of the Information Overload, a growing lack of reason and responsibility in our social affairs, and a growing dependence upon our tribal and political leaders to tell us what to do. A comparison of the definitions of Intellectualism and Post-Intellectualism indicates how we have evolved during the last forty or fifty years.