IDEOLOGICAL IDIOCIES, book review: Intellectual Morons: Smart People Fall For Stupid Ideas

New York Post ^ | October 31, 2004 | Michael J. New

[OESY]

Daniel Flynn's "Intellectual Morons" serves as a clarion call warning about the dangers of ideology. Flynn won ders why so many public intellectuals embarrass themselves by promoting foolish theories and opinions. The reason is simple, most of these individuals have abandoned rational argument in favor of ideology.

According to Flynn, this blind adherence to ideology has led many scholars and activists to embrace ideas that are, at best, foolish and, at worst, dangerous.

Each chapter chronicles the background and debunks the ideas of a prominent public intellectual....

Flynn is at his best when dealing with public intellectuals who are famous for their criticism of America. He demonstrates how folks like Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky and Gore Vidal, who routinely blame America for the world's problems, often make erroneous predictions. He demonstrates that the "evidence" they use to support their assertions is questionable at best.

Flynn's less effective when he goes after two icons of the political right: Ayn Rand and Leo Strauss. Flynn rightly points out that right-wing ideologies can be every bit as damaging as left-wing ideologies. But discussing Rand's personal foibles and the bizarre behavior of her followers provides little insight into either the faulty predictions or harmful consequences of objectivist political thought.

Similarly, Flynn tried to use the turmoil in post-war Iraq to discredit Straussians. But it is not clear how Strauss' ideas inevitably led us to war there.

Flynn suggests some options for minimizing the impact of these intellectual morons. First and foremost, ideological falsehoods need to be exposed. Then, we must strive for open debate, free inquiry, tolerance and diversity in the academy, to create conditions that cultivate critical thinking.

Truth is, speech codes, ideological conformity and even the tenure system each, in their own way, limit intellectual discourse on many college campuses....

[OESY]

Michael J. New is a research fellow at Harvard University.

Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Make Smart People
Fall For Stupid Ideas, by Daniel J. Flynn
Crown Forum, 304 pages, $25.95

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

OC, CA ping

[fizziwig]

I was passing by a liberal bookstore in downtown sac the other day and, amazingly, saw Intellectual Morons in the window. I walked in and bought the window copy, the clerk said that it was the only one they had. Even though she made a sale she didn't seem too happy about it.

Its a great read and helps to understand lefty lunacy. Flynn also pokes at right wing idealogues too.

[Dumb_Ox]

There's another good review of this book here.

[roostercashews]

Mr. Flynn has been on the C-SPAN Book-TV channel over the weekend promoting his book. Check the listings.

[buffyt]

I just got

WHY THE LEFT HATES AMERICA by Flynn
and
FDR's FOLLY about how FDR's policies actually PROLONGED the great depression.

And I buy and read ALL books by Ann Coulter. One of the most brilliant minds of our day.

[Dead Dog]

It's called NPS, NPR Pinhead Syndrome: the faulty belief that slow, over articulated and condescending speech overrides reality.

[wizardoz]

But discussing Rand's personal foibles and the bizarre behavior of her followers provides little insight into either the faulty predictions or harmful consequences of objectivist political thought.

Yeah, this is why I didn't really like Paul Johnson's book "Intellectuals." It's pointless to deride thinkers by making sure we know they were ugly, had bad breath, got divorced alot, etc. That's like liberals dismissing the ideas of the Founding Fathers by pointing out that some of them had slaves. So what? Tell us how the *ideas* go astray, not how the authors fall short of them, or aren't attractive advertisements for them.