Overcoming the cult of ignorance

You can overcome the cult of ignorance by choosing to think freely, seek understanding, and value truth over convenience—even when the world seems determined to distract and mislead you.

Recognise the warning signs

In his 1980 essay A Cult of Ignorance, writer Isaac Asimov saw a troubling trend where anti-intellectualism was becoming not only accepted, but celebrated. In this culture, opinion was elevated above fact, and critical thought was met with suspicion.

"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."

To begin overcoming this, you must first notice it around you. Are news and politics simplified to outrage? Are experts dismissed in favour of loud personalities? Are you encouraged to question—or merely to react? When you start noticing these patterns, you can begin resisting them.

Ignorance by design

Asimov understood that ignorance isn’t simply a lack of information—it’s often a carefully cultivated condition. “The United States is the most powerful country in the world and has been for decades,” he wrote. “It has led the world in science, technology, and innovation. But with great power came the need to keep the public docile and misinformed.”

This is not just about media or misinformation. Public education budgets are cut. School curriculums are diluted. Celebrity gossip is elevated while global affairs are buried. All of this creates a culture where complexity is seen as elitist, and critical thinking as unnecessary. When ignorance becomes systemic, it makes people easier to manage—and far less likely to question the forces that shape their lives.

You can push back by staying informed, but more importantly, by learning how to think rather than what to think. Seek sources that challenge you. Be cautious of narratives that comfort more than they clarify. By recognising the systems that keep people distracted or misinformed, you can begin to free your own mind.

Freethought as resistance

In contrast to this landscape of engineered ignorance, freethought offers both a refuge and a weapon. It is the belief that each of us can use reason, evidence, and conscience to arrive at truth. “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is,” wrote Asimov.

Becoming a freethinker doesn’t require special qualifications. It begins when you stop letting others tell you what to believe. Ask your own questions—even when the answers are difficult. Read widely. Doubt confidently. Hold your views lightly, knowing they may grow with new evidence. In a dumbed-down world, this is a revolutionary act.

Every time you resist the urge to follow blindly, you reclaim a little more of your agency. You become harder to fool, harder to silence, and more able to live in alignment with your values. That is the quiet power of the freethinker.

Reclaiming the common mind

One of the most damaging lies of the cult of ignorance is that ordinary people aren’t capable of deep thought. But this has never been true. “Democracy cannot survive over a population of citizens that are too ignorant to participate meaningfully,” warned Asimov—not because people are naturally ignorant, but because systems make them so.

History is full of examples of working people—farmers, factory workers, activists—who educated themselves and others. From Quaker schools to labour movement libraries and civil rights reading circles, collective learning has always been a threat to those in power. You continue that tradition every time you seek to understand rather than obey.

You are not alone in this. Find others who value truth. Share what you learn. Question together. When many minds awaken, the common good begins to shine again.

A choice for every age

Though Asimov spoke to the America of the 1980s, his message grows more urgent today. “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread,” he observed, “but it need not be the dominant one.” You live in a time of vast information—but also vast confusion. The difference lies in how you choose to engage with the world around you.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to know everything. But you do have to care enough to read, to listen, to reflect, and to speak. The cult of ignorance thrives on indifference. The freethinker undermines it simply by choosing to understand. No one can stop you from being curious, thoughtful, and aware of ill-meaning ignorance.

Image(s) from WSJ