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good post. i read it in my morning nyt and then re-read it here.

add to your list the book "intellectuals" by paul johnson. it has to be one of the funniest books that i've read. he exposes the left intellectuals for the frauds that they are.

Well, I did read Johnson's "Intellectuals" but I hope the Lilla book will be a little better. While Johnson was interesting, he seemed more interested in attacking the intellectuals looks and personalities rather than their ideas. Sartre was ugly and Bertrand Russel had bad breath, therefore we shouldn't give their ideas any credence. I don't agree with that approach, that's no more helpful than trying to denigrate Thomas Jefferson's ideas on the grounds that he owned slaves. I want real arguments, real explorations of the consequences and motives of their ideas, Rand style. I've ordered the Lilla book and hope to get it within the next two weeks.