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The Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice Hardcover – August 4, 2020
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Named one of Vulture’s Top 10 Best Books of 2020!
Leftist firebrand Fredrik deBoer exposes the lie at the heart of our educational system and demands top-to-bottom reform.
Everyone agrees that education is the key to creating a more just and equal world, and that our schools are broken and failing. Proposed reforms variously target incompetent teachers, corrupt union practices, or outdated curricula, but no one acknowledges a scientifically-proven fact that we all understand intuitively: Academic potential varies between individuals, and cannot be dramatically improved. In The Cult of Smart, educator and outspoken leftist Fredrik deBoer exposes this omission as the central flaw of our entire society, which has created and perpetuated an unjust class structure based on intellectual ability.
Since cognitive talent varies from person to person, our education system can never create equal opportunity for all. Instead, it teaches our children that hierarchy and competition are natural, and that human value should be based on intelligence. These ideas are counter to everything that the left believes, but until they acknowledge the existence of individual cognitive differences, progressives remain complicit in keeping the status quo in place.
This passionate, voice-driven manifesto demands that we embrace a new goal for education: equality of outcomes. We must create a world that has a place for everyone, not just the academically talented. But we’ll never achieve this dream until the Cult of Smart is destroyed.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAll Points Books
- Publication dateAugust 4, 2020
- Dimensions5.58 x 1.16 x 8.83 inches
- ISBN-101250200377
- ISBN-13978-1250200372
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"There’s a mystery at the heart of American life: Why has education―the great liberal equalizer―failed to deliver equality? In deBoer’s searing indictment of our modern meritocracy, he rightly observes that the usual explanations don’t add up―and that they crucially shift blame from a society that makes lesser intelligence a veritable death sentence onto schools, teachers, and families."
―Elizabeth Bruenig, New York Times Opinion Writer
"George Orwell once wrote that among his gifts was ‘a power of facing unpleasant facts.’ Fredrik deBoer also has that power, in spades. The first unpleasant fact he forces us to confront is: We do not all have the same level of academic ability. And the second is: Such differences do not reduce our responsibility to address the profound inequities of our educational system. This is a cogent, beautifully written, and radically challenging book. It has made me profoundly uncomfortable."
―Alan Jacobs, author of Breaking Bread with the Dead
"In a moment where intellectual 'independence' often functions as a personal-branding nostrum or cover for reactionary impieties, Freddie deBoer stands out as the genuine article―deliberate, wide-ranging, lionhearted, and invariably worth reading. This book is not only an important contribution to our educational debates, but an altogether discomfiting look at our fetish for meritocracy."
―Gideon Lewis-Kraus, author of A Sense of Direction
"Provocative...this passionate plea to reconsider 'what it means to be a worthwhile person' gives policymakers and educators much to think about."
―Publishers Weekly
"deBoer has written a book about education that is radical and undaunted in every possible way, from its politics to its tone. I wish I’d had it in my arsenal when I dropped out of high school."
―Molly Young, Vulture
"In deBoer’s plain-spoken Marxism there is much to disagree with, but it is the sort of disagreement that leads to greater clarity, and the book is a―if he would not mind me saying so―smart contribution that should shed light on what we value, and how."
―Patrick T. Brown, National Review
"Mr. deBoer’s book deserves attention for the way in which the author honestly faces one of modern liberalism’s great inanities and addresses it using only the tenets of the political left. It is an extraordinary effort."
―Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal
"deBoer has critically pondered who we are, what diversity means in education, what education means for learners as individuals, and how improvements in education and society can be brought to fruition...an excellent read whose solutions should be given deep consideration for implementation."
―Kim Petersen, Dissident Voice
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : All Points Books (August 4, 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250200377
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250200372
- Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.58 x 1.16 x 8.83 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #603,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #466 in Education Reform & Policy
- #1,014 in Medical Social Psychology & Interactions
- #1,467 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Dr. Fredrik deBoer was born in Middletown, Connecticut in 1981. He holds a bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State, a Master's degree from the University of Rhode Island, and a PhD from Purdue University. He lives in Brooklyn.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the thesis good and provocative, but they say the writing style blunts arguments and injects a frustrating level of incoherence into the entire work.
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Customers find the content insightful, compassionate, and brave. They also say the book is pleasant to read and well worth the first 80%. Readers also mention that the book provides a provocative reminder that education is in the hands of the individual.
"...But the first 80% of this book is well worth it." Read more
"...This is an insightful, compassionate, brave plea for us all to follow evidence rather than groupthink and ideology in pursuit of a kinder, fairer..." Read more
"...You'll enjoy it. I found the information fascinating and it has led to some great conversations with educators...." Read more
"...this book represents the type of self-indulgent, wishful, and unscientific thinking that dooms nations to the dustbin of history." Read more
Customers find the writing style blunts his arguments and injects a frustrating level of incoherence into the entire work. They also describe the book as weird and interesting.
"...the driver's seat, and this blunts his arguments and injects a frustrating level of incoherence into the entire work." Read more
"This was a weird book...." Read more
"interesting problem, solutions are off..." Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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The last few chapters, the author pivots from education to general politics and policy proposals, and starts to get a bit more incoherent and off topic. But the first 80% of this book is well worth it.
But what I wanted from the book after I got so many pages in was What to do with the information. What can I put into practice to help improve my instruction or teaching. How do I contribute to the cult of smart and how do I help my students? I feel like the book did not include enough here.
If you like educational history and theory, highly recommend.
If you want more about pedagogy and how to improve yourself as an educator, read when you have exhausted some of your other sources.
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2023
But what I wanted from the book after I got so many pages in was What to do with the information. What can I put into practice to help improve my instruction or teaching. How do I contribute to the cult of smart and how do I help my students? I feel like the book did not include enough here.
If you like educational history and theory, highly recommend.
If you want more about pedagogy and how to improve yourself as an educator, read when you have exhausted some of your other sources.
In his polemic 'The Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice,' Fredrik deBoer, an educator with a penchant for the controversial, takes a sledgehammer to the tower of contemporary education. DeBoer, not one to mince words, posits that our education system is less a bastion of enlightenment and more a machinery of social stratification. This preserves the status quo of societal inequity.
DeBoer's thesis hinges on what he terms the 'cult of smart,' societal idolatry of innate intelligence as the supreme metric of human value. DeBoer says this dubious doctrine perpetuates a pernicious myth: intelligence is a fixed and unalterable quantity rather than a trait that can be nurtured and honed. The consequence of this fallacy is a self-fulfilling prophecy, wherein the so-called bright are lauded and advanced, while the rest languish in a pedagogical purgatory.
He then scrutinizes the system's sorting mechanism, comparable to the controversial theory of Phrenology that identifies and separates students with almost fanatical enthusiasm. This early classification of students into categories on standardized tests reinforces social divisions. With access to more resources, the affluent naturally rise to the top. In contrast, the less fortunate are often stuck in a cycle of educational depravity. Of "gifted" and "remedial" bas
DeBoer is equally scathing about the lasting damage these labels do to education. The 'smart' are ensconced in a cocoon of expectations, while the 'struggling' are stigmatized, their potential and self-worth eroded by institutional branding.
Moreover, deBoer lambasts the education system's obsession with rote learning, accusing it of stifling creativity and critical thinking. In his view, the system churns out not enlightened minds but rather regurgitators of facts, ill-equipped for contemporary life.
In examining teachers' plight, deBoer paints a picture of beleaguered individuals grappling with unrealistic expectations and systemic neglect. This is particularly true in underprivileged areas. This, he argues, leads to a demoralized teaching force, unable to fulfill their education potential.
DeBoer also critiques technological band-aids applied to deep-seated educational wounds. He argues that far from being a panacea, technology often exacerbates educational disparities, with the rich getting richer in resources and the poor left in the digital dust.
In proposing solutions, deBoer goes beyond mere critique. He advocates project-based learning and interdisciplinary approaches that foster creativity and critical thinking. His policy suggestions aim at the roots of educational inequality, recognizing that a mere change in curriculum is tantamount to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
'The Cult of Smart' is a trenchant and well-researched critique, a clarion call for a fundamental rethinking of how we educate. DeBoer compels us to confront uncomfortable truths about our education system and its role in perpetuating social injustices. It is a provocative, if sometimes uncomfortable, reminder that education, in its current form, might be the opiate of the elites. This is rather than the superior equalizer it purports to be.
QUOTES
* "The education system is not a neutral, apolitical institution. It is a battleground in the war between the powerful and the powerless."
* "The idea that intelligence is fixed and innate is one of the most destructive ideas in human history."
* "The education system does not exist to promote social mobility; it exists to preserve social hierarchy."
* "The primary function of the education system is not to educate, but to sort."
* "The education system is not broken; it is doing exactly what it was designed to do: reproduce social inequality."
* "We do not have an education system that is failing; we have an education system that is succeeding, but succeeding in perpetuating social injustice."
* "The problem with the education system is not that it is not working; the problem is that it is working precisely as intended."
* "The goal of education should not be to prepare students for the workforce, but to prepare them for citizenship and participation in democracy."
* "Education should not be about creating a competitive advantage, but about creating a just and equitable society."
* "The education system will never be reformed until we recognize that it is not a technical problem, but a political one."
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024
In his polemic 'The Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice,' Fredrik deBoer, an educator with a penchant for the controversial, takes a sledgehammer to the tower of contemporary education. DeBoer, not one to mince words, posits that our education system is less a bastion of enlightenment and more a machinery of social stratification. This preserves the status quo of societal inequity.
DeBoer's thesis hinges on what he terms the 'cult of smart,' societal idolatry of innate intelligence as the supreme metric of human value. DeBoer says this dubious doctrine perpetuates a pernicious myth: intelligence is a fixed and unalterable quantity rather than a trait that can be nurtured and honed. The consequence of this fallacy is a self-fulfilling prophecy, wherein the so-called bright are lauded and advanced, while the rest languish in a pedagogical purgatory.
He then scrutinizes the system's sorting mechanism, comparable to the controversial theory of Phrenology that identifies and separates students with almost fanatical enthusiasm. This early classification of students into categories on standardized tests reinforces social divisions. With access to more resources, the affluent naturally rise to the top. In contrast, the less fortunate are often stuck in a cycle of educational depravity. Of "gifted" and "remedial" bas
DeBoer is equally scathing about the lasting damage these labels do to education. The 'smart' are ensconced in a cocoon of expectations, while the 'struggling' are stigmatized, their potential and self-worth eroded by institutional branding.
Moreover, deBoer lambasts the education system's obsession with rote learning, accusing it of stifling creativity and critical thinking. In his view, the system churns out not enlightened minds but rather regurgitators of facts, ill-equipped for contemporary life.
In examining teachers' plight, deBoer paints a picture of beleaguered individuals grappling with unrealistic expectations and systemic neglect. This is particularly true in underprivileged areas. This, he argues, leads to a demoralized teaching force, unable to fulfill their education potential.
DeBoer also critiques technological band-aids applied to deep-seated educational wounds. He argues that far from being a panacea, technology often exacerbates educational disparities, with the rich getting richer in resources and the poor left in the digital dust.
In proposing solutions, deBoer goes beyond mere critique. He advocates project-based learning and interdisciplinary approaches that foster creativity and critical thinking. His policy suggestions aim at the roots of educational inequality, recognizing that a mere change in curriculum is tantamount to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
'The Cult of Smart' is a trenchant and well-researched critique, a clarion call for a fundamental rethinking of how we educate. DeBoer compels us to confront uncomfortable truths about our education system and its role in perpetuating social injustices. It is a provocative, if sometimes uncomfortable, reminder that education, in its current form, might be the opiate of the elites. This is rather than the superior equalizer it purports to be.
QUOTES
* "The education system is not a neutral, apolitical institution. It is a battleground in the war between the powerful and the powerless."
* "The idea that intelligence is fixed and innate is one of the most destructive ideas in human history."
* "The education system does not exist to promote social mobility; it exists to preserve social hierarchy."
* "The primary function of the education system is not to educate, but to sort."
* "The education system is not broken; it is doing exactly what it was designed to do: reproduce social inequality."
* "We do not have an education system that is failing; we have an education system that is succeeding, but succeeding in perpetuating social injustice."
* "The problem with the education system is not that it is not working; the problem is that it is working precisely as intended."
* "The goal of education should not be to prepare students for the workforce, but to prepare them for citizenship and participation in democracy."
* "Education should not be about creating a competitive advantage, but about creating a just and equitable society."
* "The education system will never be reformed until we recognize that it is not a technical problem, but a political one."
This means that there are limits with what we can do in the education system. Every child has infinite intrinsic worth and value, not not every child can grow up to be a rocket engineer, and that's OK. This is a difficult pill for those of us in the West to swallow sometimes, but deep down, we all know this is true. Not every child can grow up to be an NBA forward, either (least of all me....)
Of course, deBoer draws some dubious conclusions about the future communist utopia that I could have done without. He also spends every other page grinding his axe against his enemies (most notably, Charter school advocates *GASP*), and he undervalues some important factors to my eye (like home environment). But, the fact that deBoer aims for honesty and traverses a massive taboo earns this a five star review in my eyes.
I highly recommend this book and have recommended it to several friends and family members. I hope he keeps banging this drum and doesn't give up this fight.
Top reviews from other countries
I owe the Cult of Smart (the phenomenon, not the book) my life. As an individual with a learning disability that went undiagnosed until well into adulthood, without the privileges that come with high IQ, I would have been poor, jailed, or dead, instead of a "success"