The Cult of Credentialism

December 12, 2024 by J.B. Shurk

I once saw a celebrated American author give a class of literature majors one of the best lessons they could learn. He was speaking about the English language when he noticed that all of the students were busy taking notes rather than listening. He paused and asked how many planned on being writers. All hands went up. He asked how many expected to be successful in their pursuit. Most hands went up. Then he looked them in the eye and told them that majoring in literature is not the way to do so. The students were shocked (as were some of their professors), but the famous novelist continued. He listed his favorite writers of the last century and noted that most had spotty educations and work experiences that had nothing to do with writing. Prestigious college degrees and straight As, he told the students, are no substitute for creativity and life experience.

It was interesting watching some of the reactions in that auditorium. Surely literature majors had noticed that for every Ralph Waldo Emerson, T.S. Eliot, or John Updike with a Harvard degree, there were ten Mark Twains, Ernest Hemingways, Hunter S. Thompsons, or William Faulkners whose academic achievements were rather modest. Still, many of the young students had gotten it in their heads that if they attended the fanciest schools and read the great works of literature with enough enthusiasm, they would one day be recognized for their own literary genius.

Watching this episode affixed in my mind a realization that our society has forgotten how to appraise genius. For far too many decades, we have been steadily replacing the celebration of intellectual achievement with the celebration of academic credentials. The more esteem we have accorded to the mere obtainment of a degree, the less willing we have become to recognize worthy contributions from people without the “right” curriculum vitae.

College matriculation has not always been a hallmark of success. Before the First World War, prominent businessmen and politicians often had no more than a high school education. For many decades after that, a college degree was more than sufficient for most professions. Then came the proliferation of MBAs and other Master’s degrees. Eventually, even those were deemed inadequate to establish someone’s intellectual worth. Now we have Ph.D.s in all manner of disciplines that never would have required so many years of formal schooling in the past. Neither G.K. Chesterton nor George Orwell needed college degrees to make their marks on political philosophy. Neither Nikola Tesla nor Thomas Edison needed college degrees to give the world electric power or artificial light. Genius requires no honorific attached to one’s name.

As with so much else in our culture today, we have been taught to value the wrong things. Education, critical thinking, and intellectual growth are vitally important. A degree is only as important as it assists an individual in these pursuits. If a person advances toward an academic degree without becoming a better thinker, then the degree is just window dressing. Everybody likes an attractive store window, but if the merchandise inside is shoddy, no customer will return. Today, a college degree is advertised as the essential accoutrement for every successful person. Unfortunately, a college “education” has been responsible for producing a surplus of shoddy minds.

A few years back, I watched an argument unfold online. People were debating the emergence of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” departments in schools and corporations. The back-and-forth was spirited but respectful. Many voices pointed out that DEI initiatives are a legalized form of discrimination that do nothing but divide Americans and aggravate pernicious tribalism.

Then a Boston professor jumped into the debate. She explained that she had advanced degrees in these subjects, that her education had cost several hundred thousand dollars, and that she had been the recipient of several illustrious university grants. She concluded that her C.V. proved not only that she knew more than everyone else, but also that those reading should feel lucky to be the beneficiaries of her free “expertise.” The professor’s patronizing tone conveyed such an appalling appeal to (undeserved) authority that the episode seemed the perfect encapsulation of academia’s collapse. Knowledge and critical thinking skills have been jettisoned in favor of lofty yet hollow titles connoting unearned prestige.

This little incident was an ominous precursor to the “Reign of COVID Terror,” the greatest outbreak not of disease, but rather of crimes against humanity. Rampant junk science and detestable appeals to authority coalesced into a ghastly form of totalitarianism that gave us lockdowns, injection mandates, religious persecution, mass surveillance, and the glorification of “expertise.” In the end, most of what the “experts” told us (with regard to COVID’s origin, transmission, lethality, and treatment) turned out to be spectacularly false. But the “experts” touted their credentials, pointed to all the exalted prefixes and suffixes surrounding their names, and expected everyone else to obey. Authoritarianism thrives when “the credentialed” presume to know best. Credentialism, after all, is sister to aristocracy.

This disconnect between knowledge and authority is one of the most dangerous qualities of Western society today. In a society that values intellectual merit, reasoned argument forms the backbone of the body politic. In a society that values titles of nobility, rigorous debate gives way to official pronouncements from authority figures.

The United States of America knows well the difference. During the Revolutionary War, colonial Patriots engaged in intellectually rich public debate and articulated in detail their reasons for breaking free from the British Crown. Among the copious number of newspaper articles and town hall speeches of the day, The Federalist Papers pseudonymously written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay remain some of the most influential philosophical writings since the Enlightenment. Reasoned argument throughout the colonies provided the bedrock for American independence and a national union. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin did not bark at their contemporaries: You must do what we say because we know best. They counseled: Here are the reasons why we should undertake this arduous task together. Share with us your concerns. Let us reason together.

Our American birthright is not blind obedience to officials and academics with titles of authority. Our birthright is the privilege and responsibility of governing ourselves. Free speech and dissent are our priceless inheritance. We cast off the trappings of nobility long ago.

When citizens are discouraged (or prohibited) from thinking for themselves, freedom cannot exist. In its place, a class system arises in which some people’s opinions matter more than others. Dr. Fauci tells us to stand six feet apart, and, stripped of our prerogative to reason, we are expected to obey. State licensing boards punish doctors for COVID “misinformation” and lawyers for election “misinformation,” and neither group of professionals has any recourse. The Federal Reserve manipulates the value of the U.S. dollar, and there is nothing Americans can do. Ivy League faculties promote “white supremacy,” anthropogenic “global warming,” modern monetary theory, and Marxist socialism, and students are expected to accept falsehoods as truths. Obedience to authority figures is a prerequisite for all forms of tyranny.

What is to be done? The answer is simple. We must return to our American roots. We must distrust government and other institutions of power. We must think critically, ask questions, and engage in vigorous public debate. We must not defer to others simply because of the titles next to their names. We must refuse to be intimidated into silence. We must not fear being wrong. But most of all, we must remember that we said goodbye to aristocracy two and a half centuries ago. Credentials do not make Americans talented or wise. What matters is how we use our brains.

Hat tip to Mr. Bergerson.