No, what he wants is to think for himself.
Lessee, where have we heard this lie before? Ah yes, this quote from The Serpent in the garden comes to mind.
Genesis 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
The Serpent says you can be your own god, make up your own mind about what's good and what's evil. You don't need the Creator of the Universe to tell you what's good and what's evil.
As for the Lewis Lapham, a couple other verses come to mind.
Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
2 Timothy 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
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