Does the UK still have an 'intellectual class'?

I don’t see how? Many people are content never to think about or discuss anything in depth. I don’t think OP means social class. I think OP is simply referring to the section of the population who are interested in politics and culture beyond the current yes/no, right/left, good/bad levels of discourse we see on social media. As a pp observes, your comment illustrates this perfectly.

Same here.

Most people are happy wallowing in their ignorance. What’s changed is that ignorance is now seen as a viable end point.

Does anyone else remember ‘Islington people’ from the nineties? Close relations of ‘the chattering classes’, which is the term the press used when they wanted to be slightly sneery.

Onthewineagain But are the ‘people you know’ typical of the whole population? Any analysis of society would suggest that there are still distinctions in the interests and preoccupations (and of course some overlaps) between people of different socio-economic groups.

But go to a racecourse and you will find a huge cross-section of society laid out in front of you, a la ‘The Derby Day’ by William Powell Frith!

I think unfortunately people’s cultural and political interests have often gone underground and become something that they pursue in online silos. So there are fewer meeting points for conversation, plus the insidious idea that we can always find new ‘friends’ if the ones that we have don’t agree with us…

Popular culture is unfortunately pretty vacuous, with an emphasis on surface appearances that take a huge amount of time and energy to maintain. Young women going for regular and expensive appointments for nails, eyebrows and lashes comes to mind.

I grew up in the era of grunge. We certainly weren’t the most groomed but we had a lot of time to read books!

See my post. That’s a perfect example of what I mean.

British, not Brutish!!!😀

Genuine typo!

There has been a real dumbing down of culture here, mainly through TV and media. Look at the quiz shows now compared to years gone by. Ignorance is funny on so many of these shows.

Having said that, we definitely do still have plenty of intellectually curious people. I would say my whole family fit the bill, and my two teens both have loads of friends with a similar outlook.

How wonderful for you? I wish I could belong in your circle of friends! I grew up abroad knowing ourselves to be intellectuals. There was some snobbery, of course! But I do so miss those conversations. Nowadays, I find there's as much snobbery in finding words of more than a syllable or two universally taboo! You have made me nostalgic. I don't often cone across many people these days who aren't either pretending dumb, or actually dumb, or fiercely opinionated know it alls. Debate and class and intelligence are all dirty words. Been replaced by f and s! 😥

I think there are always some people who whole world is a few streets around them or so and that crosses into their knowledge as well

That’s a snobby comment if ever I’ve read one.

No, not for years. There’s a strong philistine running through Brutish society, and a real mistrust of anything that might be regarded as ‘intellectual’.

You end up with a frankly ludicrous situation whereby someone like Stephen Fry is widely regarded as a public intellectual.

Most people I know are like this. Have never considered it as being a separate class. Just standard to me.