Civilization and its nerds: Anti-intellectualism inThe Big Bang Theory

Abstract

This article analyses whether and to what extent the popular TV showThe Big Bang Theoryconveys anti-intellectual ideas. The starting point of my enquiry is the verbal behaviour of the ‘main nerd’ of this series, Sheldon Cooper, who is noteworthy for his lack of empathy and propriety. I aim to shed light on the kind of inappropriate verbal behaviour Sheldon displays by analysing a speech pattern this character is particularly bad at ‐ ‘white lies’, that is lies made out of consideration for other people’s feelings. By drawing on Immanuel Kant’s thoughts on civility in hisAnthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View(1798), I will detail the social implications of white lies and how Sheldon fails in employing them. Doing so will be helpful in establishing why Sheldon’s comments and behaviour appear as outlandish as they do. This in turn provides important insights into the way the televisual text ofThe Big Bang Theoryrelates with its audience and the social implications of this connection. I will conclude with the observation that the portrayal of Sheldon Cooper relies heavily on two kinds of stereotypes: anti-intellectual ones and those associated with the ‘nerd’ identity.