Anti-intellectualism is on the rise. And by “anti-intellectualism” we mean the backlash to scholars in fields like the humanities.

According to two intellectuals, Dr. Ally Louks (https://x.com/drallylouks?lang=en) and Jason Stanley (https://campuspress.yale.edu/jasonsta…) , the humanities help us better connect to other humans. According to a lot of online haters, they’re worthless. In November 2024, Dr. Louks recently posted her Cambridge University dissertation online and was piled on by a loud group of right-wing anti-intellectuals.

Today, Brittany revisits her convo with Dr. Louks, and Jason Stanley, a professor of Philosophy at Yale University. They investigate the backlash to Dr. Louks, higher education at large, and why “anti-intellectualism” is prevalent in Republican politics. For more, read Jason Stanley’s book Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future (#ErasingHistory: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future) .

This episode originally published January 27, 2025.

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