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Health & Fitness

The Intellectualism of the Nation's Founders

Today is our nation’s 237th anniversary of declaring independence from Great Britain. We, as Americans, celebrate this occasion as a monumental point in the history of our nation with fireworks, family gatherings and parades. My own thoughts turn to the men who drafted such a document that turned the world upside down.

In many ways, the founders of our nation have taken on characteristics of demigods, greater than simple mortals yet not quite divine. But, in reality, who were these men? What set them aside from other men during that period in history?

Across a broad spectrum, these men were united as men of learning and the natural product of the Age of Enlightenment. They represented some of the most educated men that the colonies had to offer. A good many had received formal educations at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, the College of William & Mary or the College of Delaware later known as Princeton. Others, like Benjamin Franklin were largely self- educated and yet a few had little formal or informal education. The greaestt intellectual luminaries like Jefferson, Franklin, Monroe and Madison were men of insatiable curiosity and seekers of knowledge and understanding, well beyond any pragmatic or utilitarian sense.

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These men were avid followers of Loche, Spinoza, Smith, Hobbes, Hume and a myriad of modern philosophers and thinkers. They were also well versed in the classics. These men were the incarnation of a new breed of the Renaissance Man. Jefferson alone represented this age with his insatiable interests; the arts, sciences and music. Without these intellectuals, this nation would never have been formed or if formed would not have survived for long. These were the builders of our foundation of principles, philosophies, liberties and freedoms. But, one has to ask if they lived in the present day United States, how would they be received?

I don’t think they would fare very well in today’s America. Contemporary American society is not only anti-intellectual, but discounts anything that’s not associated with pragmatism, utilitarianism or structuralism. By today’s standards, Jefferson would be judge a failure since he died bankruptcy.

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There are three primary categories of intellectuals: Professional Intellectuals, Academic Intellectuals, and Public Intellectuals. The Professional Intellectual is someone who is an expert in their professional field and communicates that knowledge primarily to other like professionals. The Academic Intellectual is someone who is an expert in their particular field of study and like the Professional Intellectual they usually limit themselves to their field of expertise. The Public Intellectual is someone who has a broad range of interests and seeks knowledge for knowledge’s sake. They communicate the original, second hand ideas and knowledge; making every effort to connect knowledge into a broader pictures of reality and truth. Jefferson would clearly have been a Public Intellectual. By his own admission he was not a great orator and tended to be shy and withdrawn, but as a writer, he was unsurpassed.

I am afraid that our present opinions about intellectuals would never allow a man such as Jefferson to be heard and read. His ideas would be buried under an avalanche of anti-intellectualism and pejoratives hurled at him. He would not be trusted and clearly labeled as an elitist. I think he would be saddened by the limits society places on knowledge and the push for mediocrity. Education is now gauged as minimal and good enough if it leads to some kind of employment and little else.

On this day that we celebrate our founders’ courage, vision and intellect; we have rejected an important part of our founding; intellectualism. I think, it is time to reevaluate the role the intellectual plays in our overall society and how we can benefit from these seekers of knowledge and truth.  




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