Out of Left Field: Is the American Enlightenment dead?

Michael Dinnocenzo

Early in the 2008 campaign I met Rick Shenkman when he came to speak at Hofstra. I took exception to the title of his new book, “Just How Stupid Are We?”  

His view of American citizens was so negative that I suggested perhaps a better word in his title would be “ignorant.”  

I emphasized that all of us, even those of us who were writers and academics, had lots of gaps in our knowledge.

“No,” he exclaimed, “I mean it; people in the U.S. are really stupid; they don’t even care about what they don’t know.”

It has never been easy for citizens anywhere to acquire reliable data as the basis for informed, public judgment.  

But the founders of our nation were truly radical in their belief that regular citizens would be capable of responsible democratic participation.

Europe’s 18th century Enlightenment was led by an elite class that welcomed the “Age of Reason.” 

But they considered themselves as the societal guardians for the many who were not educated, and, to a large extent, were regarded as not educable.  

Our Revolution’s “Spirit of ‘76” affirmed that all Americans were capable of being attentive to evidence and to participating in rational discourse.  

Still, among our founders, there were some doubters about the common folks.  

At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Alexander Hamilton, one of the great American success stories, opposed extending the vote more broadly.  

He exclaimed: “Your people, sir, are a great beast; they seldom judge or determine correctly.”

Jefferson quickly responded to that view with principles and values reinforced by Franklin, Madison and others.  The aptly described “Sage of Monticello” noted:

“If we think the people incapable of exercising power with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take power from them, but to inform their discretion by education.”

He continued:

“We must preach, my dear sir, a crusade against ignorance, for if a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it  expects what never was — and never will be,”  

As the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Lawrence Cremin underscored, Jefferson was an early and major advocate for the popularization of education in America.  

This was a commitment to “Common Schools” with public financial support that would help “to enlighten the public at large.”

Political campaigns were not immune from “spin” in earlier times, but many commentators now contend that levels of irrationality by voters may be the death knell of the American Enlightenment.  

One critic’s essay was accompanied by a picture of a tombstone with the caption, “Truth Lies Here.”

Last week the lead “Letter to the Editor” in The Wall Street Journal summarized the public state of politics in a way that affirmed Shenkman’s book “Just How Stupid Are We.”

 “We are witnessing an election cycle taking place in the context of an all-out assault on truth, discernment, scientific inquiry, critical thinking and civil discourse.”

I was impressed that the Journal published that letter because the writer concluded: “The culpability for this precarious situation lies with a Fourth Estate (The Wall Street Journal included) that has abdicated its responsibility for holding politicians and business leaders accountable.”

Newspapers were never perfect guides to our political process but now the market place of ideas has expanded so dramatically with the world-wide-web, hundreds of 24-hour cable stations, Facebook, twitter, etc. that it is not easy to confirm reliable sources.

Democracy supports the principle of being able to hear many voices, but as Eugene O’Neill’s character states in “The Hairy Ape:” “Tinkin’ Ain’t Easy.”

How many citizens will invest time and thought to seek reliable knowledge?

A few weeks ago, the marvelous (and once conservative) magazine The Economist stated: “To understand the Republican race, turn on the radio.”  

This story highlighted people like Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck who “describe a simple world,” where even the advertisements promoting gold sales “seethe with paranoia.”

Former Republican official, David Frum, has described these “talk radio men” as “entertainers without responsibility.” 

They operate in a “fact-free” fashion to promote fear and opposition of “The Other.”  

The more anger they generate, the more loyal and large their band of listeners becomes.  More advertising revenue pushes their salaries up to $40 and $50 million a year.    

The remarkable former Long Islander, Bill Moyers, pointed to the perils for “Enlightenment” thinking in our nation. He said that he came out of retirement “because I could not remain on the sidelines while the delusional was becoming normative.”

Can American people and our expanded, diverse media reclaim the noble principles of informed, rational, civic engagement?

The whole world is watching in 2016 because everyone has a stake in an American presidential election (to be continued).

D’Innocenzo’s website is: michaeldinnocenzo.com 

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