On January 20, 2014, I reflected on taking my son to see a stage adaptation of “Fahrenheit 451” at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts the previous night. The performance, by the English theater company Aquila Theatre, was exceptional. With simple yet stunning visuals and impeccable acting, the production beautifully complemented Bradbury’s novel.

Both my son and I, having read the book, agreed that Ray Bradbury was indeed prophetic in his depiction of a society lost to entertainment and anti-intellectualism. While the story centers on book burning, the play highlighted a crucial twist: Montag, despite being able to read, struggles to comprehend the text, pleading with Faber to teach him. This nuance is significant, emphasizing that the threat to knowledge extends beyond the physical destruction of books.

The play reinforced my belief that one can “burn” books without flames. Reading, like muscle memory, requires consistent practice. Critical thinking skills develop through repetition and exposure to vast amounts of information. It’s this accumulation of knowledge that allows us to make connections and generate new ideas – a process that mirrors the concept of “big data,” but within our minds.

I find it deeply concerning that many choose to read less or not at all. My fear for my daughter and son is that they might become lost in the cultural trend of consuming 30-second clips of superficial content masquerading as art and literature. Our society’s shift towards anti-intellectualism is alarming, and I believe we’ll face severe consequences if we don’t correct course soon.

Reflecting on Umberto Eco’s definition of an intellectual from his Paris Review interview, I considered how true intellectualism isn’t about repeating information, but about producing new ideas and approaches. By this measure, an uneducated farmer who innovates through experience and contemplation could be more of an intellectual than a Harvard graduate who merely echoes trendy dogma and ideological talking points.

EoE

Ten years, nine months and I could have never imagined how bad it would get.