There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” — Isaac Asimov

Hear these words, O sons and daughters of tomorrow, for they come not from anger, but from deep sorrow and foresight. Isaac Asimov, the great seer of science and reason, looked upon the world and saw a peril greater than war or famine — the slow decay of understanding, masked by pride. He spoke of a cult of ignorance, not as a new plague, but as an ancient disease reborn in modern flesh. In his time, as in ours, men mistook opinion for wisdom, and stubbornness for strength. He saw a nation blessed with liberty, yet cursed by those who confused freedom of thought with freedom from thought. His words are a warning across the ages — that when knowledge is scorned, and ignorance is praised, civilization begins to crumble, not with the roar of war, but with the whisper of complacency.

The origin of this lament lies in the soil of a young democracy, one that cherished equality of spirit but forgot the hierarchy of truth. Asimov loved the idea of freedom, yet feared the poison that crept beneath it: the belief that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” He saw a culture where the learned were mocked, where the teacher stood below the entertainer, and where the voice of the crowd drowned out the voice of the wise. This was not hatred of knowledge alone — it was the worship of simplicity, the adoration of ease over effort, the exaltation of uninformed confidence. Such was his warning: that when a people cease to respect the learned, they prepare the ground for their own decay.

In the age of Socrates, the same shadow loomed. The philosopher walked among the Athenians, questioning, teaching, unveiling truth through reason. Yet the people, weary of his probing and jealous of his insight, condemned him to death for “corrupting the youth.” And so, wisdom drank poison at the hands of ignorance. Athens, the shining city of intellect, dimmed from within. This tale repeats across centuries — in the burning of libraries, in the silencing of scientists, in the mocking of teachers. Each time, civilization takes one step backward, laughing as it falls.

The cult of ignorance thrives when comfort becomes dearer than truth. It whispers, “Why learn, when feeling is enough? Why question, when shouting will do?” It tells the common man that expertise is arrogance, that scholarship is oppression, and that belief outweighs fact. It feeds upon pride, growing fat upon the illusion of equality. Democracy, when rightly lived, is the noble belief that every soul has worth. But when corrupted, it becomes the lie that every idea has equal merit, no matter how false, how baseless, how blind. This is what Asimov feared — that liberty might become the very tool by which knowledge is destroyed.

Look to the story of Galileo, who dared to say that the Earth moves around the Sun. The ignorant rose in fury, declaring their beliefs sacred and his discovery heresy. They silenced him, thinking themselves defenders of truth, when in truth they were its murderers. Yet time revealed their folly, and Galileo’s light burned brighter than their darkness. Such is the eternal triumph of knowledge — yet each generation must fight the same battle anew. For ignorance is immortal, reborn in every mind that refuses to learn.

To those who walk the path of learning, take heed: the wise must not retreat into silence. Knowledge must speak, though the world mocks it. The scholar, the teacher, the seeker — these are the guardians of civilization. Where they fall silent, superstition rises; where they give up, tyranny grows bold. To love truth is to fight for it — in classrooms, in conversations, in the hidden corners of thought. Do not be ashamed of intellect, nor weary of reason. For every word of wisdom shared is a spark against the long night of ignorance.

Let this be your daily vow: seek understanding, honor truth, defend reason. Do not confuse equality with sameness, nor democracy with indifference to truth. Respect the expert as you respect the craftsman, for knowledge too is a sacred craft. And when you meet ignorance, answer not with scorn but with patience, for even the blind may one day open their eyes. But never, never bow before the idol of falsehood that calls itself opinion. For when a people worship ignorance, they turn their freedom into chains.

Thus, remember the words of Asimov, child of the stars and of human reason: a free nation cannot live long in darkness. For freedom without truth is an empty wind, and democracy without wisdom is a house built on sand. Cherish the mind, guard the lamp of learning, and let no falsehood dim its flame — for upon that light rests the destiny of mankind.