All entries by this author

Cleveland Health Education Museum Does What?! *

Jul 1st, 2005 | Filed by

Opens doors to ‘faith healer’. Is everyone crazy?… Read the rest



AAA Votes to Rescind 2002 Report *

Jul 1st, 2005 | Filed by

On allegations of research misconduct by scholars studying the Yanomami.… Read the rest



Don’t Forget to Vote for Greatest Philosopher *

Jul 1st, 2005 | Filed by

Listen to Julian Baggini, Anthony Grayling, Alan Ryan on their picks.… Read the rest



Mere Featherless Bipeds

Jul 1st, 2005 2:12 am | By

This article by Carlin Romano raises a lot of very interesting issues. I don’t know nearly enough (by which I mean I know nothing at all) about the subject to judge how fair or accurate any of it is – but the issues raised are interesting in any case, and I propose to mumble over them, so there.

The desire to portray great thinkers as disembodied argument machines remains a powerful force in analytic philosophy. Think of it as a slice of amour-propre, part of the arrogant wish to be seen as timelessly, noncontingently right about everything. It can move acolytes to depict thinker-heroes as dynamos of pure intellect rather than peers: mere featherless bipeds whose thoughts bear clear markings

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‘Those who are Vulnerable Suffer More’ *

Jun 30th, 2005 | Filed by

Asma Jehangir on Pakistan’s judicial system in light of Mukhtaran Mai case. … Read the rest



Musharraf Says Mukhtaran Mai Free to Travel *

Jun 30th, 2005 | Filed by

She has her passport back.… Read the rest



Are Philosophers Disembodied Argument Machines? *

Jun 30th, 2005 | Filed by

Carlin Romano on Thomas Nagel on Nicola Lacey on H L A Hart.… Read the rest



Book Meme

Jun 30th, 2005 2:15 am | By

Err. I knew it had been awhile, but I didn’t think it had been as long a while as that. Thought it was more than a week, so maybe…ten days or so. No – three weeks. Blimey! How I do lose track sometimes (because I’m busy not losing track other times, or rather of other things – that’s what does it).

But I’m on it now. The book meme, which Norm tagged me with ten days I mean three weeks ago. (Really?! I bet it wasn’t. I bet he moved the post, just to rattle me.)

Total number of books I’ve owned:

What, I’m supposed to have counted them and kept track of the numbers? I don’t know! I have … Read the rest



Close Reading Redux

Jun 30th, 2005 12:43 am | By

Michael Bérubé has a post on that Judith Halberstam article about the putative death of English. Remember that article? The one I had so much innocent fun with last month? Actually (now I look) two sessions of innocent fun – because I wasn’t able to fit all my ridicule and venom into one comment of reasonable length.

Much of my venom was directed at the characterization of close reading as ‘elitist’ – remember that?

But, while Spivak’s investment in the “close reading” and formalism betrays the elitist investments of her proposals for reinvention, I urge a consideration of non-elitist forms of knowledge production upon the otherwise brilliant formulations of The Death of a Discipline. If the close reading

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Remarks on Theory

Jun 30th, 2005 12:39 am | By

People have been commenting here and there on Mark Bauerlein’s “Theory’s Empire”, no doubt because of the links on Arts and Letters Daily and (cringe) National Review Online’s The Corner. There’s this colleague of Mark’s for example:

If the original impulse of theory was to shatter orthodoxies and challenge hierarchies (it wasn’t all that, but that’s the mythology), the current incarnation is tediously hegemonic…I’m sure deconstruction was really exciting back in the day, but, well, I don’t live back in the day, and I don’t care…the theory evolved into elaboration for its own sake, turning a corner of literature departments into Philosophy-Lite (“Just as much deep meaning, but a third less logical rigor”). You can see how theory

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David Aaronovitch on Jew-hating on the Left *

Jun 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Part of the Left has lost its political and moral compass.… Read the rest



Mark Steyn Says Very Silly Thing *

Jun 29th, 2005 | Filed by

‘There aren’t many examples of successful post-religious societies.’… Read the rest



Sikh Protesters Disrupt Sikh Wedding *

Jun 29th, 2005 | Filed by

‘We will use any means whatsoever to stop this happening.’… Read the rest



Christian Group Calls Belfast Gay Parade ‘Offensive’ *

Jun 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Because they ‘believe what the bible says regarding sodomy.’… Read the rest



A Culture That Sees Child Abuse Everywhere *

Jun 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Meadow did not single-handedly create abuse-obsession that led to unjust convictions.… Read the rest



Munchausen’s and Other Syndromes *

Jun 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Expert witnesses, suspect science and dead babies.… Read the rest



Ethnomathematics *

Jun 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Essential tool for ethnochemistry, ethnoengineering, ethnophysics.… Read the rest



Preacher

Jun 29th, 2005 2:50 am | By

What was that we were saying about Bible-clutchers who avow their belief that everyone ‘outside’ of JC will get conscious torment for eternity? And about the thought that people who choose to believe that, and sign a statement saying so at the beginning of their college careers, and carry on as usual in a cheerful tranquil manner – have something badly wrong with them; that such people are not, as is so often assumed of ‘devout’ believers, better than other people, but worse?

Well. Last January, some six months before Edgar Ray Killen was convicted and sentenced for the murder of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, Jeffrey Goldberg wrote a piece in The New Yorker about a visit Read the rest



Islamic Group Cross at Transvestite Beauty Contest *

Jun 28th, 2005 | Filed by

Leader worries Allah might send second tsunami to punish.… Read the rest



Televangelist in Nigeria Furious at Tiny Payoff *

Jun 28th, 2005 | Filed by

Promised miracles, expected 6 million people, got 1 million, had hissy fit.… Read the rest