The Intellectuals

[Mik]

He’s right, of course. Our short attention span culture and media demagoguery have led us to a point where we automatically dismiss ideas based on who presented them rather than the content.

[Catseye3]

You think? IIRC, in the early days of Internet, television dumbed down as the Internet grew, leading to the conclusion that intellectuals or even mildly smart people were fleeing to the Net, leaving TV to dumb down or die.

Could it be that intellectuals are curating their Net browsing (and eshewing social media altogether) for the same reasons? And they're just not as visible anymore?

[Horace]

My favorite case in point is Jordan Peterson, who gets flippantly dismissed by anybody with a left-leaning perspective. It is literally impossible to maintain intellectual credibility with circa half the American population, if you express political opinions.

[jon-nyc]

@Mik said in The Intellectuals:

He’s right, of course. Our short attention span culture and media demagoguery have led us to a point where we automatically dismiss ideas based on who presented them rather than the content.

Agreed, another problem with the short attention spans (exacerbated by Twitter) is that people that might have been old-style intellectuals in another era have today drifted into punditry or even activism, which diminishes or even corrupts them by encouraging hot takes on every issue of the day.

Who knows, if, say, Oakeshott and Dworkin had had Twitter accounts they might have been dumbed down too.

[Doctor Phibes]

@Jolly said in The Intellectuals:

A Cal Thomas column...

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/4/where-have-all-intellectuals-gone/

TL; DR.

Anybody want to post a quick summary?

[jon-nyc]

@Doctor-Phibes said in The Intellectuals:

@Jolly said in The Intellectuals:

A Cal Thomas column...

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/4/where-have-all-intellectuals-gone/

TL; DR.

Anybody want to post a quick summary?

Not dissing the piece at all, but the TL;DR is the headline. Left and right, there just aren’t intellectuals working today of the stature of a generation or two ago.

[Doctor Phibes]

@jon-nyc said in The Intellectuals:

@Doctor-Phibes said in The Intellectuals:

@Jolly said in The Intellectuals:

A Cal Thomas column...

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/4/where-have-all-intellectuals-gone/

TL; DR.

Anybody want to post a quick summary?

Not dissing the piece at all, but the TL;DR is the headline. Left and right, there just aren’t intellectuals working today of the stature of a generation or two ago.

I think maybe you missed my joke

(Article complains about lack of intellectual depth. Moron asks for brief summary as he can't be bothered to read it)

[Mik]

@Doctor-Phibes I didn’t miss it.

[Mik]

@jon-nyc said in The Intellectuals:

@Doctor-Phibes said in The Intellectuals:

@Jolly said in The Intellectuals:

A Cal Thomas column...

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/4/where-have-all-intellectuals-gone/

TL; DR.

Anybody want to post a quick summary?

Not dissing the piece at all, but the TL;DR is the headline. Left and right, there just aren’t intellectuals working today of the stature of a generation or two ago.

Yes. They begin with the outcome predetermined and work from there to justify it.

[jon-nyc]

@Doctor-Phibes said in The Intellectuals:

@jon-nyc said in The Intellectuals:

@Doctor-Phibes said in The Intellectuals:

@Jolly said in The Intellectuals:

A Cal Thomas column...

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/4/where-have-all-intellectuals-gone/

TL; DR.

Anybody want to post a quick summary?

Not dissing the piece at all, but the TL;DR is the headline. Left and right, there just aren’t intellectuals working today of the stature of a generation or two ago.

I think maybe you missed my joke

(Article complains about lack of intellectual depth. Moron asks for brief summary as he can't be bothered to read it)

I've known you're a moron for so long I forget how funny it is.