Anti-intellectualism as a threat within liberal societies (was: Zoroastrianism in everyday life)

Dear Dino

Yes, this is correct! Intellectualism is the exact word, it is synonymous with Mazdayasna or Mazdaism.
I guess the best way to foster intellectualism is to train people to separate themselves from their thoughts as to be able to judge them for their own merits (only to then identify with the thoughts you keep, pronounce and act according to). In other words: Identifying with your thoughts, words, actions makes you responsible for wighing the merits of your thoughts before you proceed and turn them into words and actions. Only THEN are your thoughts YOUR thoughts.
Whatever you are, you are your intellect. And precisely because of this is what you think or rather the thoughts you dwell on so important.
Anwar Ibrahim's speech at the Cairo conference was very reasonable, I hope he - as an islamic liberal - becomes the next leader of Malaysia.

Ushta
Alexander

2009/10/30 Special Kain
- Dölj citerad text -



Dear friends,

Anti-intellectualism is a common experience among students from Swiss universities. It's the dark side of modern liberal democracies. Only because everybody can formally voice their concerns and speak their minds, many people automatically believe that everybody's opinions and sensitivities were equally valid, thus promoting subjectivism and politically correct anti-intellectualism. Yes, I've happened to make this frustrating experience a million times already. And it's tiresome.

What intrigued me about Zoroastrianism is its positive and affirmative attitude towards intellectuals and their pursuits and achievements. Rather than promoting blind faith, it is promoting intellectual integrity and growth, and, for example, celebrating Charles Darwin's and Albert Einstein's scientific achievements or Friedrich Nietzsche's and Karl R. Popper's philosophical and epistemological achievements. Zoroastrianism is pro-science and pro-intelligence. For example, there's no praise of intelligence in any Christian gospels!

It's the belief and confidence in intelligence which John Dewey so highly speaks of as the foundation of cultural and scientific progress and achievements. Freedom starts with the praise of intelligence, it starts with the thought being free. Liberation is inextricably linked with education, intelligence and civilization and starts with interactive learning experiences in order to cope with existence increasingly intelligently and create new possibilities of brand new experiences and new identities.

But celebrating and encouraging anybody's increase in intelligence seems to be a rather lonely pastime. Most people don't share this enjoyment of (intelligent) life, but would dismiss it as the opposite of fun, reducing fun to blind consumerism. I don't know if this is also a part of the difference between the netocrats and the consumtariat?

It seems ironic, but let me please add that Wikipedia (yes yes) has a good and solid article on anti-intellectualism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-intellectualism

Ushta, Dino

--- Special Kain schrieb am Fr, 30.10.2009:


Von: Special Kain
Betreff: AW: [Ushta] Zoroastrianism in everyday life
An: Ushta@yahoogroups.com
Datum: Freitag, 30. Oktober 2009, 12:55



Dear Alexander,

Thanks!!!
Zoroastrianism is the TOTAL SUM of how Zoroastrians LIVE in their everyday lives as Zoroastrians. So my question is definitely great and interesting, because we are the thoughts we have, the words we speak and the actions we undertake. Accordingly, Zoroastrianism can't be anything else than the thoughts that Zoroastrians have, the words that Zoroastrians speak and the actions they undertake. It is perfectly logical, it is existentialism and pragmatism combined as one!
That's why I'm interested in the different ways that Zoroastrians are living their lives. But my question is also of a personal nature: the frustrating experience of anti-intellectualis m (when idiots say, for example, that all opinions were merely subjective and therefore equally valid and that philosophers and scientists were hiding in laboratories far away and detached from what idiots call "the real world"). It's what you just happen to experience when you're studying in Zurich.

Ushta, Dino // agrees with Alexander that Islamic liberals should take over the Islamic agenda, but hopefully SOON

--- Alexander Bard schrieb am Fr, 30.10.2009:


Von: Alexander Bard
Betreff: [Ushta] Zoroastrianism in everyday life
An: Ushta@yahoogroups. com
Datum: Freitag, 30. Oktober 2009, 11:29



Dear Parviz

I have no problem at all being a sect.
I spent last night with some young homosexual men in Cairo, Egypt and I realise the hardships they live under. The only thing that enables them to survive is their sect-like organisation. Without their lifestyle sect they would have nowhere to go (and still their neighbors in nearby Saudi Arabia live under even worse conditions).
Having said this, I believe we can both be a sect and blend in with other Zoroastrians. We are not alone in our thinking at all. We are just unique in that we try to formulate our ideas so we can present them others.
But Dino's question is great: How do we LIVE like Zoroastrians in our every day lives? For myself, being interested in others (like the young homosexuals in Cairo) and their perspective, and giving priority to art and creativity in my life, those are two things that I regard as Zoroastrian values that I practice.

Ushta
Alexander/is meeting with a lot if Islamic Liberals at the Cairo conference and really hope they can take over the Islamic agenda in the next two decades; they already more or less control countries like Malaysia and Indonesia...