Summary Of Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff

Paradigm Shift in Intellectualism Gerald Graff highlights the laxity of institutions to nurture supposedly non-intellectuals in his disquisition “Hidden Intellectualism”. Graff believes the predominant reason to be our association of these individuals with anti-intellectualism. Furthermore, he believes society’s notion of intellectualism lies in evaluating weighty and arduous topics such as Plato and Shakespeare, and real intellectualism constitutes enlivening the dullest of subjects. Essentially, Gerald Graff claims that pupils would be “more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encouraged them to do so… on subjects that interest them” (Graff 265). He describes his adolescent experience as an argument favouring his claim. He narrates that he hated

However, he now believes that he was still rooted in intellectualism. He goes on to describe that his diverse neighbourhood had an invisible barrier between the ‘hoods’ and the ‘clean-cut’ boys; it presented him with a dilemma betwixt impressing the hoods and his career. To thrive in school, Graff explains, he had to remain inarticulate and anti-intellectual; however, in hindsight, he believes that it was quite nuanced as he explains how he debated about the toughest pupils in school. Thenceforth, Graff learnt argumentation, evidence evaluation and other intellectual operations; thus, Graff suggests that the “sports world was more compelling than school because it was more intellectual than school” (Graff 267). Additionally, he holds schools liable for failing to learn how to organise intellectual culture, which he believes ought to help students transition from sports argument culture to academic ones. All in all, Graff advises schools to undertake disciplines that allow students to academically analyse and ponder over non-academic, yet interesting topics. I agree with Graff’s claim that more students would be willing to become academicians if they were encouraged to look at