|
Obscurantism in its current usage can imply one of two separate concepts, sometimes distinguished by capitalization:
Big-O Obscurantism
The older sense of the term Obscurantism refers to a class of philosophies that favor limits on the extension and dissemination of scientific knowledge, believing it to be the enemy of faith. Obscurantists are by definition atheists or agnostics themselves, but believe that some form of religion or superstition is necessary for a stable society, and thus seek to limit to a select few the awareness of evidence that counters common belief. For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ...
Agnosticism is the philosophical and theological view that the existence of God, gods or deities is either unknown or inherently unknowable. ...
Obscurantism in this sense is both anti-intellectual and elitist, as well as fundamentally anti-democratic, as it considers the people unworthy of truth. Though often associated with religious fundamentalism, Obscurantism is a distinct strain of thought: Fundamentalism presupposes a sincere belief in religion, while Obscurantism rests on the deliberate manipulation of faith by an enlightened few. Anti-intellectualism is a term that in one sense describes a hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits. ...
Elitism is a belief or attitude that an elite — a selected group of persons whose personal abilities, specialized training or other attributes place them at the top of any field (see below) — are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken most seriously, or who are alone...
In comparative religion, fundamentalism has come to refer to several different understandings of religious thought and practice, through literal interpretation of religious texts such as the Bible or the Quran and sometimes also anti-modernist movements in various religions. ...
The Marquis de Condorcet wrote profusely on the phenomenon during the period of the French Revolution, when Obscurantism was widespread among the aristocracy. Later, William Kingdon Clifford, an early proponent of Darwinism, devoted some writings to rooting out Obscurantism in England after hearing clerics who privately agreed with him publicly denounce evolution. Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat, marquis de Condorcet (September 17, 1743 - March 28, 1794) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and early political scientist who devised the concept of a Condorcet method. ...
The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ...
William Kingdon Clifford William Kingdon Clifford, FRS (May 4, 1845 - March 3, 1879) was an English mathematician who also wrote a fair bit on philosophy. ...
Charles Darwin Darwinism is a term for the underlying theory in those ideas of Charles Darwin concerning evolution and natural selection. ...
The philosopher Leo Strauss has also presented a philosophy with many elements of Obscurantism, such as his belief in "esoteric" meanings in ancient texts that should not be accessable to the "ordinary" reader or citizen. Leo Strauss (September 20, 1899 – October 18, 1973), was a German-born American political philosopher who specialized in the study of classical philosophy. ...
Small-o obscurantism In the 20th century obscurantism has also come to mean a literary style that is deliberately complex and misleading in order to hide the fact that the writer's ideas are vacuous. In this sense, what is meant to be obscured is not knowledge itself but rather the fact that the writer has no knowledge of his subject.
It is a commonly raised accusation in debates on academic freedom, with anti-communists and others associating it with the philosophy of G. W. F. Hegel and those influenced by his writings, especially Karl Marx. A well known charge of obscurantism against Hegel was made by Arthur Schopenhauer, who wrote that Hegel's philosophy is: Academic freedom is the freedom of teachers, students, and academic institutions to pursue knowledge wherever it may lead, without undue or unreasonable interference. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...
History teaches us that man learns nothing from history. ...
Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was an immensely influential philosopher from Germany, a political economist, and a socialist revolutionary. ...
Arthur Schopenhauer (February 22, 1788 – September 21, 1860) was a German philosopher. ...
. . . a colossal piece of mystification which will yet provide posterity with an inexhaustible theme for laughter at our times, that it is a pseudo-philosophy paralyzing all mental powers, stifling all real thinking, and, by the most outrageous misuse of language, putting in its place the hollowest, most senseless, thoughtless, and, as is confirmed by its success, most stupefying verbiage...
— Arthur Schopenhauer, On the Basis of Morality More recently Martin Heidegger and his followers, especially Jacques Derrida, have been labelled obscurantists. Hugh Mellor, joined by many academic philosophers, wrote an open letter protesting Cambridge University's award of an honorary degree to Derrida, claiming that Derrida's work "does not meet accepted standards of clarity and rigor" and that it is made of "tricks and gimmicks similar to those of the Dadaists". Martin Heidegger (September 26, 1889 – May 26, 1976) was an influential German philosopher, best known as the author of Being and Time (1927). ...
Jacques Derrida (July 15, 1930 – October 8, 2004) was an Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher of Jewish descent, most often referred to as the founder of deconstruction or, by less sympathetic theorists, deconstructionism. ...
Hugh Mellor (D. H. Mellor) is an Australian-born British philosopher. ...
An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience. ...
The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ...
Cover of the first edition of the publication, Dada. ...
The Sokal hoax arguably showed that obscurantism is indeed a problem within academia. The Sokal Affair was a famous hoax played by physicist Alan Sokal on the postmodernist humanities academics world. ...
Who is an Obscurantist? Rarely have thinkers referred to themselves as Obscurantists in either sense of the word. It is mainly an accusatory term, and as such any classification of philosophers or commentators as obscurantist will be contentious.
In 2000 Bill Joy published the paper Why the Future Doesn't Need Us calling for a halt to the spread of scientific knowledge lest humanity destroy itself or be surpassed by super-intelligent machines. His proposal to limit knowledge for the sake of preserving current society was quickly compared to Obscurantism, though preserving religious belief was not one of Joy's arguments. Bill Joy (left) with Paul Saffo. ...
Why the future doesnt need us is an article by Bill Joy, Chief Scientist at Sun Microsystems. ...
The philosopher U.G. Krishnamurti has also been called Obscurantist, mainly for his statement "Thought is the enemy," but his case is also ambiguous, as Krishnamurti is a determined foe of all spiritual belief. Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti can be called a guru in that many people come to him looking for spiritual guidance. ...
See also Anti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits. ...
Methodenstreit is a German term referring to an intellectual controversy or debate over epistemology, research methodology, or the way in which academic inquiry is framed or pursued. ...
The orthodox understanding of pseudophilosophy is any idea or system that masquerades itself as philosophy while significantly failing to meet some suitable intellectual standards. ...
External links and references |
Feeds |
Contact