Anti-intellectualism Is Killing America

[Dystopia]

In your opinion what causes this anti-intellectual culture? I'm curious - There are many countries in the world, some of them are the roughly the same size or bigger than the US (and with larger demographics) - There is, most likely, an historical/cultural cause.

I am not sure who you are asking.

I think the primary reason is religion.  It is very antagonistic to critical thinking.  Religion, in fact, depends on poor critical thinking for its survival.  But that is not the only factor.  

Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there was an existential angst about our future, which kept many policy makers interested in promoting science as a way of making sure that they did not get ahead of us in everything.  For example, if you examine the history of Sputnik, the first satellite, it was the Soviets being ahead of us in space.  That terrified policymakers, and so we poured massive amounts of money into science and technology.  It was patriotic to study science, to keep us ahead of the Soviets.  But we do not have that motive any longer with the breakup of the Soviet Union.  So we do not have the same focus any longer.  That might be why we canceled our Superconducting Super Collider.

There are also various corporate interests involved (which is mentioned in the article).  Business depends on people buying things, not on them making good buying choices.  If people are easier to sucker, that, at least in the short run, is good for many businesses.

And there are politicians who benefit from a lack of critical thinking.  Some of our politicians would never be elected if their constituents were all intelligent, reasonable, and good at critical thinking.

I think in connection with that is the history of the Republican Party over the past few decades, becoming entangled with fundamentalist Christians, which has not done the country any favors.  It is pushing us backwards, or trying to, and has had some successes in pushing us backwards.  It has had a corrupting influence on our educational system, including subjects in science and sex education.

There are likely other factors involved.

Thanks for the reply - I'm curious to know if you truly think religion is the root of ignorance because I see it merely as part of it - It seems that in America as long as you know how to read the bible you can be a pastor and preach the word of Jesus, while in countries like Italy there is a strong Catholic tradition of educating priests in subjects like philosophy, history, literature, languages, etc - Regardless of what you think about the Catholic church.

Curiously, I come from a country where a lot of people are ignorant because of a past dictatorial political regime, but people always encourage education - My grandparents were little educated, my grandmother doesn't know how to read and write, but she always tells me to study hard and become a wise person to succeed in life. The fact I know how to speak two languages fluently is something that surprises many people - My girlfriend is my age and she can't speak English b sides saying "hello" and "how are you?" - This happens with some of my friends, even though people are becoming more educated in the last decades. 

I think american exceptionalism and a sense of entitlement is what hurts america the most and causes many Europeans to hate america - My parents hate the US with a passion I can't describe, though I think what they really hate is America's foreign policy and some parts of the legal system and how the economy works.

Some of the best schools in my country are Catholic - I am going to get a masters' degree in a Catholic university - Rest assured, religious lessons are optional and are mostly about discussing important moral issues within a context of diverse religious beliefs and not just Catholicism - I'm going to pay a big sum of money, but it's worth it - For this reason I don't see religion as ignorant as some people here, otherwise it wouldn't be justified the amount of great schools that are Catholic (and the money you effectively pay to get your kids there, it's not exactly cheap).