Big Think

Shapel Mallard commented on David Rieff on the Death of Intellectualism on July 7, 2009, 10:35 AM

IN some ways I would have to agree with him. I believe that in many ways we promote anti-intelectualism either intentionally through derision or through the ballot, or unintentionally through consumerism and lethargy. That being said I am always weary of hearkening to greater times of intellectual ferment, especially when we aggrandize those periods that had little if any regard for the artistic or intellectual achievements of historically marginalized groups. Its a narow view of what constitutes genius or high art. We eschew the notion of some authoritative cannon, because we are more apt to question the legitimacy of authority, especially when its acts in some exclusionary manner. The manifold genius of someone like James Baldwin or Toni Morrison would not have been acknowledged in the 19th century. Incidents of brilliance now, that we can recognize, such as the blues, or hip hop, would have been simply considered vulgar, and lacking. If you are going to reject idealized notions of telos or progress simply by sliding toward a cynical view of the descent of culture, youre still stuck.