B.R. Myers says Jeffrey Masson’s amateurish style is persuasive, sort of.… Read the rest
Revisiting de Tocqueville
Apr 3rd, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Religious insanity is very common in the United States. We should not be surprised at this.’… Read the rest
The Guardian’s Rwanda Page
Apr 3rd, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonLinks to many aspects of Rwanda and the genocide.… Read the rest
Carl Zimmer on Misunderstanding Science
Apr 3rd, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt’s about uncertainty, not certainty.… Read the rest
My Baby Done Gone
Apr 3rd, 2004 3:42 am | By Ophelia BensonOh, man, I have the most terrible case of post-partum depression. Or perhaps that’s not the right word, perhaps I mean empty-nest syndrome. Or separation anxiety. One of those, anyway, or possibly all of them. The book is gone! It’s finished! It’s over! It’s history. It’s on its way out into the world, to sink or swim, to make it on its own or to crash in flames, to become something or to flop down on the nearest bench and vegetate for the rest of its pathetic aimless life.
I wasn’t ready. I had plans. I was going to teach it to make toffee, and drive a car, and read Braille. I was going to teach it principles, and wash … Read the rest
Rwanda
Apr 2nd, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAs the tenth anniversary approaches, Frontline takes a look.… Read the rest
Menand on McCarthy and Related Matters
Apr 2nd, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe difference between journalists and academics; narrow elections and how little they mean.… Read the rest
Heaps of All-round Stupidity
Apr 2nd, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonJohn Quiggin has a harsh word or two for postmodernist nonsense about advertising.… Read the rest
Michael Foot’s 1000 Volumes of Hazlitt
Apr 2nd, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWill go to the Wordsworth Trust when he conks out. Not soon, let’s hope.… Read the rest
Ektopos Has its First Birthday
Apr 1st, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonExcellent philosophy site reaches a milestone.… Read the rest
Terry Eagleton on Edward Said
Apr 1st, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘He is more interested in emancipating the dispossessed than in bending genders or floating signifiers.’… Read the rest
The Fun of Working for the Bush Administration
Apr 1st, 2004 | Filed by Ophelia BensonLeon Kass told Elizabeth Blackburn ethics panel would consider diverse views. But no.… Read the rest
Correlation/cause confusion
Apr 1st, 2004 | By Julian Baggini"The arts have their value in society. You look at the Royal Albert Hall on Proms night. How many of those people are going to mug old ladies on the way home? Not many – they’ve got more important things to worry about."
Prunella Scales, Big Issue in the North , 1996
It is indeed highly unlikely that anyone returning from a classical music concert is going to mug someone along the way. But such a person is also probably more likely than the average member of the population to embezzle funds from their company the day after. Are we then to conclude that listening to Mozart will make you less likely to mug someone but more likely to fiddle … Read the rest
A Few Treats
Apr 1st, 2004 5:49 am | By Ophelia BensonAs you may have surmised, I’ve been busy. Very busy. Working flat-out on this dictionary. It’s nearly done now, and then I’ll have more time to write long windy inconsequential N&Cs again.
But one good thing about this dictionary caper is that I find a lot of stark staring nonsense while googling for just that purpose. We’re going to have a Nonsense File in a few months, when my colleague has a spare moment to program one. For now I’ll just present you with some links here.
This one for example is a really good (good in a special sense) bit of Lacanian literary criticism. I don’t see how you can fail to enjoy it. I’ll just give you a … Read the rest