ignorantism

Definition

Noun (uncountable): The advocacy or practice of opposing the spread of knowledge, education, or enlightenment; a deliberate preference for ignorance over intellectual or cultural development.

Usage Examples

• (A movement that actively resists education and learning.)
• (An era characterized by the rejection of knowledge.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ignorantism as a political tool": The deliberate use of anti-intellectual policies to maintain power.
  • The regime's ignorantism was evident in its censorship of textbooks and dismissal of expert opinions. (The government's policy of opposing education to control the populace.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ignorantist (noun): A person who advocates or practices ignorantism.
  • He was labeled an ignorantist for his public attacks on universities and scientific consensus. (A supporter of anti-intellectualism.)
• Ignorant (adj): Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated.
  • She was ignorant of the basic facts, but not willfully so. (Lacking information, not necessarily advocating ignorance.)
• Ignorance (noun): Lack of knowledge or information.
  • Ignorance of the law is no excuse. (A state of being uninformed.)

Synonyms

• Anti-intellectualism: Opposition to intellectual life, education, or the opinions of experts.
• Obscurantism: The practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known.
• Philistinism: Dislike or contempt for art, culture, and intellectual pursuits.

Related Idioms

• "Willful ignorance": A deliberate decision to remain unaware of facts or realities.
  • His willful ignorance about climate change is a form of ignorantism. (Choosing not to learn despite available information.)
• "The dark ages": A historical period characterized by a supposed lack of learning and culture, sometimes used metaphorically for ignorantism.
  • The country's new policies risk dragging it back into the dark ages of ignorantism. (A regression to a less enlightened state.)